NASHVILLE — After dropping its first SEC decision this season with a 1-0 defeat at the hands of Kentucky on Friday night, the 10th-ranked LSU soccer will look to get back on track Sunday afternoon when it makes the trip to Nashville, Tenn., to take on Vanderbilt at 1 p.m. CT.
The Tigers (8-3-2, 4-1-0 SEC) now find themselves in second place in the overall SEC standings with a total of 12 points in league play as they trail South Carolina by a single point.
LSU enters Sunday’s match with a three-game unbeaten streak against Vanderbilt that includes a 1-0 win over the Commodores in Baton Rouge a year ago. In fact, the Tigers have recorded three-straight shutouts against the Commodores, including a 0-0 home draw in 2006 and a 2-0 shutout in Nashville in 2007.
Vanderbilt (7-5-1, 1-4-0 SEC) is looking to snap a two-game losing skid in conference action following a 2-0 loss to the Arkansas Razorbacks at the Vanderbilt Soccer Complex on Friday night.
First-Team All-SEC forward Molly Kinsella leads the Commodore attack again this year as she will open Sunday’s match as the team’s leading scorer with five goals and eight assists for 18 points in 13 matches. She is joined in the front line attack by forward Nicole Lukens, who has also scored five goals on the year from her position up top. The two have combined for nearly half of Vanderbilt’s 22 goals this season.
The South Carolina Gamecocks have taken over the top spot in the overall SEC standings at 13 points on the strength of its 1-0 overtime win over Auburn on Friday. The Tigers are one point back in second place at 12 points, while defending champion Florida follows closely behind in third place at 10 points.
The Georgia Bulldogs, Ole Miss Rebels and Tennessee Lady Volunteers are within striking distance with a three-way tie for fourth place at nine points through five league games.
After battling the Commodores on Sunday afternoon, the Tigers will return to the LSU Soccer Complex a week from now as they play host to the streaking Ole Miss Rebels on Friday at 7 p.m. and the Mississippi State Bulldogs on Oct. 18 at 1 p.m.