BATON ROUGE — The 20th-ranked LSU soccer team is set to battle 25th-ranked South Carolina on Thursday in its final home game of the season at 7 p.m. at the LSU Soccer Complex in the first match featuring two ranked opponents in school history.
The Tigers (10-2-5, 4-1-3 SEC) are looking to extend their unbeaten streak to four games in the SEC as they enter the match with an unbeaten 1-0-2 mark against ranked opponents this season.
The Gamecocks (12-4-1, 4-3-1 SEC) are currently riding a seven-game unbeaten streak in the all-time series that includes a come-from-behind 2-1 win in Columbia a year ago. LSU’s lone victory came by a 1-0 margin on the road on Sept. 22, 1995.
“South Carolina has an outstanding team this year and we’re going to have to be at the top of our game if we hope to come away with a win,” said LSU head coach Brian Lee. “They got off to a great start this year by going on the road and shutting out North Carolina in their season opener, which shows the kind of class they have as a team.”
The Tigers are coming off of a successful weekend after going on the road in the SEC East and blanking Vanderbilt, 2-0, on Friday night and playing Kentucky to a 1-1 draw on Sunday.
The side is now in a three-way tie for third place in the SEC standings with Auburn and Florida as each team has earned 15 points in league play to this point in the season. Tennessee leads the way with 19 points followed by Georgia in second with 17 points. South Carolina follows the Tigers in sixth place with 13 points in conference action.
“It’s been an exciting race to this point, and it appears that six teams have separated themselves from the pack with a chance to win the conference title,” Lee said. “We’re certainly pleased to be in that mix, but we’ve got a lot of work still left in front of us starting Thursday night.”
Thursday’s match will be broadcast on a tape-delay basis by The Pelican Broadcasting Network, Cox Digital Cable Channel 113. The game will be aired four times this weekend on Thursday at 11 p.m., Friday at 10 p.m., Saturday at 2 p.m. and Sunday at 8 a.m.
Three Tiger seniors will also be honored for their outstanding careers prior to kickoff as forward Sara Pollock, defender Caroline Vanderpool and goalkeeper Valerie Vogler will be lacing up their cleats one last time at the LSU Soccer Complex.
“Each of these young ladies has played an important role in the rise of the LSU soccer program into the national spotlight this year,” Lee said. “They bought into our philosophy and vision for the future of LSU soccer when we arrived three years ago, and they have the opportunity to lead the program to even greater heights this season.”
The match features a Kicking Costume Party as kids can participate in a fun costume contest at halftime. In addition, the first 300 fans who enter the gates will receive a free Halloween slinky.
After battling the Gamecocks on Thursday night, the Tigers will travel to Gainesville, Fla., to take on the 22nd-ranked Florida Gators on Sunday in a match slated for an 11 a.m. CDT kickoff at James G. Presly Stadium. They end the regular season next weekend with a trip to Fayetteville, Ark., on Nov. 2 to take on the Lady Razorbacks at 7 p.m.