BATON ROUGE — The LSU soccer team, which extended its unbeaten streak to six games this past weekend, has earned a No. 10 ranking in the Central Region by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America as announced by the organization Tuesday.
The Tigers (7-4-2, 2-0-2 SEC) are riding the program’s first four-game unbeaten streak in SEC play after earning a 1-0 shutout of Mississippi State on Friday and a 1-1 draw against Ole Miss on Sunday and are tied atop the SEC Western Division standings with the Rebels at eight points.
“It’s great for the girls to be recognized for all of their hard work on and off the field this season,” said LSU head coach Brian Lee. “I couldn’t be prouder of how the girls have played thus far and come together as a team this season. We have a tough road ahead, and our focus is entirely on Tennessee and Georgia this weekend.”
This is just the second time in the program’s 11-year history that the Tigers have been ranked among the top 10 teams in the Central Region as they are tied with Ole Miss and Colorado College for the 10th spot. Three opponents are ranked among the top eight teams in the region, including No. 4 Texas, No. 5 Vanderbilt, No. 6 Tennessee and No. 8 SMU.
LSU is also in the hunt for its first ever trip to the NCAA Tournament and has been included in the latest projection of the tournament’s 64-team field released by Top Drawer Soccer on Monday. The Tigers are ranked No. 45 in the projection that includes seven teams from the SEC and four non-conference opponents, including Navy, SMU, Texas and Villanova.
“This program aspires to compete for SEC championships and NCAA Tournament bids year in and year out,” Lee said. “We are in position to do that this year with the way this team has competed from day one of fall camp. The SEC is wide open right now, and we look forward to a great weekend of soccer against two very good teams.”
The Tigers look to extend their unbeaten streak to seven games this weekend when they travel to Knoxville, Tenn., on Friday to take on the 14th-ranked Tennessee Lady Volunteers in a match scheduled for 6 p.m. CDT. They follow with a match in Athens, Ga., on Sunday at 1 p.m. against the Georgia Bulldogs.
NSCAA/adidas Central Region Top 10
1. Texas A&M (8-3-1)
2. Oklahoma State (9-2-1)
3. Colorado (7-2-2)
4. Texas (8-3-1)
5. Vanderbilt (6-1-5)
T6. Tennessee (5-3-3)
T6. Saint Louis (6-1-2)
8. SMU (9-2-1)
9. Denver (8-2-1)
T10. LSU (7-4-2)
T10. Ole Miss (6-4-2)
T10. Colorado College (8-2-1)