BATON ROUGE — The 16th-ranked LSU soccer team has an opportunity to win its third-straight Southeastern Conference Western Division championship on Friday night when it travels to Fayetteville, Ark., to take on the Arkansas Razorbacks in a match slated for a 7 p.m. CT kickoff.
The Tigers (11-4-3, 7-2-1 SEC) have earned 22 points in league play this season and enter the weekend in second place in the overall SEC standings. A win over the Razorbacks (8-6-4, 2-6-2 SEC) would secure a third-straight division crown and lock up at least the No. 2 seed in next week’s SEC Tournament.
LSU is still alive in the chase for the SEC regular season championship as it trails only the Florida Gators in the league standings. Florida currently holds the top spot with 23 points in SEC play.
The Tigers would clinch their first ever conference championship on Friday with a win over Arkansas and a win or draw by South Carolina over Florida in their regular season finale.
LSU is ranked as high as No. 16 nationally in the latest National Soccer Coaches Association of America Top 25 poll after earning its second victory over a Top 10 opponent this season with a 1-0 shutout against South Carolina on Sunday at the LSU Soccer Complex. The club is also No. 18 in the latest Soccer Times Top 25 and No. 19 in this week’s Soccer America Top 25.
Senior Melissa Clarke scored the game-winner against South Carolina just 57 seconds into the match with the LSU defense holding the Gamecocks scoreless over the final 89 minutes of play for the victory. It was LSU’s second victory all-time against South Carolina and its first win in the series since the 1995 season.
The Tigers look to continue their march toward the postseason as they head to Fayetteville with one of the leading offensive and defensive teams in the SEC this season.
The squad has scored 23 goals in 10 conference matches this season, while also limiting opponents to just seven goals for a 0.68 goals against average to rank No. 2 in the SEC in all three categories.
Arkansas looks to snap a three-game losing skid in SEC play when the Tigers come to town as Friday will be Senior Night at Razorback Field. First-year head coach Erin Aubrey and the Arkansas program is set to honor four seniors prior to kickoff as Friday’s match will be the team’s final contest of the 2009 year. The Razorbacks have been eliminated from qualification for this year’s SEC Tournament.
Although the Razorbacks have struggled to score goals with just four goals in 10 league matches, the club features the fifth-ranked defense in the SEC with five goals allowed an a 0.86 goals against average in the league. Friday’s match marks their fourth-straight contest against a nationally-ranked opponent.
After battling the Razorbacks on Friday night, the Tigers will travel to Orange Beach, Ala., to compete in the SEC Tournament as the first round is set to get underway on Wednesday. LSU’s seeding has yet to be determined pending the outcome of Friday’s matches around the SEC.