STARKVILLE, Miss. – After playing the Ole Miss Rebels to a 0-0 draw on Friday night, the LSU soccer team will take its road trip to Starkville, Miss., on Sunday as it battles the Mississippi State Bulldogs in a match scheduled for a 1 p.m. CT kickoff at the MSU Soccer Field.
While the Tigers (5-6-4, 2-2-3 SEC) are fresh off a 0-0 draw against Ole Miss, the Bulldogs (7-9-0, 0-7-0) are coming off a 4-0 defeat at home to the Arkansas Razorbacks on Friday night.
LSU is looking to return to the win column in SEC play against Mississippi State as it boasts a five-match winning streak and eight-match unbeaten streak in the series dating back to the 2002 season. The Tigers have outscored the Bulldogs by a score of 12-1 during its current five-game winning streak that includes a 4-0 shutout in the last meeting between the two sides in Baton Rouge a season ago.
LSU continues to be led by the play of its defense as freshman goalkeeper Megan Kinneman made a total of seven saves against the Rebels to pitch her fourth shutout in eight starts this season. Kinneman dropped her goals against average this season to a sparkling 0.45 GAA in nearly 794 minutes of game action.
The Tigers have now allowed just 10 goals in 15 matches this season for a 0.62 goals against average as a team, which is on pace to break the school single season record of 0.71 GAA set a year ago.
While LSU continues to look for consistency on offense, Mississippi State has struggled defensively throughout the season while allowing a league-high 39 goals in 16 matches this fall, including 27 goals in seven SEC matches on the campaign. The Bulldogs have also struggled to score goals themselves scoring just two goals in league play entering Sunday’s contest in Starkville.
Mississippi State is led offensively this year by a trio of goal scorers in Kim Pettit, Elisabeth Sullivan and Rachel Wannek as each has scored four goals to this point in the season.
After battling the Bulldogs on Sunday afternoon, the Tigers will return to Baton Rouge on Thursday night as they play host to the 11th-ranked and four-time defending SEC champion Florida Gators in a match that will kick off at 7 p.m. CT in the friendly confines of the LSU Soccer Complex.
Thursday’s match will be this year’s “Gold Game” as LSU fans who wear gold to the game will gain free admission as the Tigers hope to pack the stands when they battle the Gators.