BATON ROUGE — After dropping a tough 1-0 decision to the No. 1-ranked North Carolina Tar Heels on Friday, the LSU soccer team will wrap up its non-conference season Sunday afternoon as it takes on Duke in the final match of the Duke Nike Classic held at Koskinen Stadium.
The Tigers (4-2-1) saw their five-game unbeaten streak snapped against North Carolina, while Duke (4-3-1) picked up its second win in a row with a 2-1 double overtime win over Auburn on Friday night.
Sunday’s match marks the final opportunity for the Tigers to prepare for Southeastern Conference play as they will return home next weekend for their SEC opener. LSU plays host to Georgia on Friday at 7 p.m. before welcoming Tennessee to the LSU Soccer Complex on Sept. 27 for a 1 p.m. kickoff.
The Blue Devils are unbeaten at Koskinen Stadium this season as they carry a 4-0-1 record into Sunday’s match while outscoring opponents by a staggering 16-1 margin in five matches.
“I thought we played well and took a big step forward against North Carolina last night, but we are facing yet another great challenge against Duke tomorrow afternoon,” said LSU head coach Brian Lee. “They’re always tough to play at home and they bring the fight to you for the full 90 minutes. We certainly saw that last night with a double overtime win over Auburn. We expect nothing less tomorrow afternoon.”
The Blue Devils feature a potent offensive attack as three players lead the team with at least 10 points this season. Sophomore forward Chelsea Canepa is the team’s leading goal scorer with five goals, including the game-winning goal in Duke’s double overtime win over Auburn on Friday night.
Senior forward KayAnne Gummersall gives the Blue Devils a solid 1-2 punch up top as she ranks second on the team with four goals and two assists for 10 points, while senior midfielder Elisabeth Redmond will factor in the attack as one of the nation’s leading assist makers with two goals and six assists this fall.
Freshman goalkeeper Tara Campbell leads the Duke defense as she has made six appearances to this point in her rookie season while posting a 1.01 goals against average with a pair of shutouts on the year.