BATON ROUGE — After setting a school record with its fourth straight win in SEC play on Friday night, the 17th-ranked LSU soccer team will look to push its winning streak to five straight Sunday when it plays host to Kentucky at 1 p.m. at the LSU Soccer Complex.
The Tigers knocked off Vanderbilt by a 1-0 margin to extend its home unbeaten streak to a school record 17 games as it is now 13-0-4 since dropping a 2-1 decision to Auburn on Oct. 13, 2006.
Junior Malorie Rutledge continues to lead the Tigers as she scored the game-winner for the fourth straight match with a rocket from 30 yards out in the 64th minute of play that beat the Vanderbilt keeper for LSU’s lone score of the match. The Tigers held off a furious comeback attempt to pick up their second straight win over the Commodores in the series.
Rutledge continues to show why she is a legitimate contender for the Hermann Trophy this fall as she is the most prolific scorer in the SEC with eight goals and 12 assists for 28 points on the year, including a league-leading seven goals and five assists for 19 points in conference play.
With the win, the Tigers (11-2, 5-2 SEC) vault into second place in the SEC standings with a total of 15 points as they trail first-place Florida by six points on the table.
“That was a big win for us last night because it was a real grind it out type of game where we had to fight for everything we got,” said LSU head coach Brian Lee. “Vanderbilt is an excellent team that is going to have a lot of success down the stretch, and we feel very fortunate to come away with a full three points from that game. It doesn’t get any easier for us tomorrow.”
LSU will play host to a Kentucky squad that has dominated the all-time series as the Wildcats are an impressive 8-1-2 all-time against the Tigers.
But it is LSU that enters Sunday’s match riding a three-game unbeaten streak in the series as they have not dropped a match to Kentucky since a 2-0 defeat in 2004. The Tigers and Wildcats fought to a 1-1 draw in Lexington a year ago, while LSU won a dramatic 3-2 contest the last time it was in Baton Rouge with Roslyn Jones scoring the game-winner with three seconds on the clock.
The Wildcats have struggled this season as they enter Sunday’s match with a 3-10-2 overall mark and a 1-5-1 record with four points in SEC play. They are looking to snap a five-game losing skid in the league that includes a 3-1 loss to Arkansas in Fayetteville on Friday night.
“Kentucky is a team that is primed for a win, and I’m sure we’re going to get their best shot when we kick it off here tomorrow afternoon,” Lee said. “Sundays in the SEC are always a challenge in getting a win and we’re going to have to be on top of our game to come away with three points.”
Sunday’s match will feature a live online radio broadcast at www.totalsportsradio.com with Jason Kelly set to carry all the action from the LSU Soccer Complex.
It will also be Bring Your Pooch to the Complex Day at the LSU Soccer Complex as the first 150 fans who bring their dogs to the game will receive a free LSU Soccer retractable leash. The match will also be Thibodeaux Soccer Association Day as members of the organization will receive free admission to see what is sure to be an exciting match in the SEC race.
After battling the Wildcats on Sunday afternoon, LSU will travel to Columbia, S.C., on Thursday to square off against the South Carolina Gamecocks at 6 p.m. CT at Stone Stadium. The club will then wrap up the regular season with a pair of home matches against No. 8 Florida on Oct. 26 and the Arkansas Razorbacks on Halloween Night.