BATON ROUGE — The LSU soccer team looks to rebound from its 2-1 double overtime loss to South Carolina when it welcomes 12th-ranked Florida to the LSU Soccer Complex on Sunday at noon in a match scheduled to be televised live by Cox Sports Television.
The Gators (11-4-2, 7-1-1 SEC) are in the driver’s seat in the race for the SEC Championship as they carry a five-point lead in the overall league standings into Sunday’s match with 22 points on the season. The Tigers (8-8-2, 3-4-2 SEC) and Gators have met eight previous times with Florida holding a 7-0-1 advantage in the all-time series.
“This is a big game for our team because a win would give us three big points in the SEC standings,” said LSU head coach Brian Lee. “We’re trying to win the SEC West and we’re trying to reach the SEC Tournament with the highest seed possible. Florida is certainly one of the premier programs in the nation, and it should be a great game on Sunday.”
Florida will bring the most potent offensive attack in the SEC to Baton Rouge as it leads the league in total points (100), goals scored (34) and goals per game (2.00). Junior forward Stacy Bishop is the team’s leading scorer with seven goals and 19 points this year, while sophomore midfielder Ameera Abdullah is the two-time defending SEC Offensive Player of the Week.
The Gators have also proven to be one of the top defensive clubs in the SEC as they have allowed just 12 goals on the season and boast the league’s third-lowest goals against average at 0.68. Florida has done an outstanding job of limiting the number of scoring opportunities for its opponents by allowing an average of just 7.82 total shots and 3.65 shots on goal per game.
“Florida comes in with a tremendous pedigree and will be a great challenge for our team,” Lee said. “They get it done on both ends of the field and some dynamic, attacking players who certainly have our full attention. Fans can expect a great soccer game here on Sunday against really one of the premier programs in the nation.”
The first 250 fans through the gate will receive a free LSU Soccer keychain, and all fans with a ticket to LSU’s volleyball match against 25th-ranked Tennessee in the Pete Maravich Assembly Center at 3:30 p.m. will gain free admission. The game is slated to be televised live by Cox Sports Television in Baton Rouge on cable channel 37.