BATON ROUGE — The LSU soccer team looks to rebound from its season opening defeat to SMU when it returns to action Tuesday in its home opener against in-state rival UL-Lafayette in a match scheduled for 7 p.m. at the LSU Soccer Complex.
The Tigers fell to the Mustangs by the score of 2-0 on Friday and are looking for their first win of the 2006 season against a UL-Lafayette squad that comes to Baton Rouge with a 0-1-1 record. The Ragin’ Cajuns opened the season with a 3-2 loss to Houston on Friday followed by a 2-2 tie in their home opener against Southern Miss on Sunday.
“We’re excited to play in front of our home fans for the first time this year and get right back on the field after our opener against SMU,” said LSU head coach Brian Lee. “We were very good box to box in the opener, but we need to work on scoring goals with the great chances we create. This week gives us a chance to improve as a team as we move forward.”
LSU is 5-0 all-time against UL-Lafayette as it has outscored the Ragin’ Cajuns by a combined total of 14-0 in the series dating back to 2000. The Tigers won a thriller in Lafayette a season ago as then junior Joleen Phillips score the game’s only goal in the seventh minute of overtime to give LSU its first victory in 2005.
“We’re looking forward to playing a great game against a quality UL-Lafayette team, and we’re excited for them to make the trip to Baton Rouge this year,” Lee said. “We believe this will be a great in-state rivalry for years to come, and we look forward to competing against them not just tomorrow, but in the future as well.”
Tuesday is “Louisiana Soccer Club Night” at the LSU Soccer Complex as club programs throughout the state are invited to come and enjoy a great college soccer match. The first 500 fans through the gate will receive a free LSU Soccer window sticker courtesy of the LSU Marketing and Promotions Department.
The Tigers follow Tuesday’s home opener with their first home weekend of the season as they welcome Sam Houston State and Houston to town in matches scheduled for Friday at 7 p.m. and Sunday at 1 p.m., respectively.