BATON ROUGE – Tiger fans have the opportunity to receive free admission Thursday night when the SEC West leading LSU soccer team plays host to the 10th-ranked and four-time defending SEC champion Florida Gators in this year’s “Gold Game” at the LSU Soccer Complex at 7 p.m. CT.
Fans wearing gold to the match will receive free admission to watch Tigers (6-6-4, 3-2-3 SEC) and Gators (12-2-2, 6-1-1) square off in a much anticipated interdivisional matchup.
Fans who are unable to attend Thursday’s game at the LSU Soccer Complex have the chance to listen to a live online radio broadcast of the match at www.totalsportsradio.com.
The three-time defending SEC West champion Tigers have taken over the top spot in the division ranking with just three regular season SEC games remaining after securing four points on the road last weekend at Ole Miss with a 0-0 draw on Friday and at Mississippi State with a decisive 6-2 win on Sunday.
LSU has earned 12 points in league play to this point in the season, while both Alabama and Auburn sit in a tie for second place in the SEC West standings with 11 points apiece.
Florida is locked in a tight battle with the South Carolina Gamecocks for the overall SEC title this year as each team is 6-1-1 with 19 points in league play. The Gators are fighting for their fifth-straight league title in 2010 as they still must face the Gamecocks on the road in the regular season finale on Oct. 29.
“We have a tremendous amount of respect for Florida and what their program has accomplished, and they have proven to be one of the best teams in the country again this season,” said LSU head coach Brian Lee. “They’re playing with a lot of confidence right now, and we must work hard and compete with everything we’ve got for the full 90 minutes to come away with the result we want.”
The Tigers are coming off their most decisive win in the SEC this season as Sunday’s 6-2 triumph against Mississippi State is the team’s highest offensive output in eight league matches on the year.
Five goal scorers helped lead LSU to the top of the SEC West table, including the first multi-goal game in the career of sophomore striker Reyna Lubin, who also recorded an assist and five points in the victory.
In LSU’s 0-0 shutout at Ole Miss on Friday night, freshman goalkeeper Megan Kinneman earned a fourth shutout of the year in nine starts, including her third shutout in SEC play. Kinneman continues to guide an outstanding defensive unit that has allowed just six goals for a 0.68 goals against average in SEC matches this season as both rank third overall among league teams in SEC play.
The LSU defense must fend off a potent Florida attack that features two of the SEC’s top three scorers for the season. Junior Tahnai Annis is the league’s top goal scorer this fall with 10 goals on the season, which includes six goals in conference play. Sophomore McKenzie Barney ranks third with nine goals this fall.
Sophomore Erika Tymrak enters Thursday’s contest as the reigning SEC Offensive Player of the Week as she scored both of Florida’s goals in a dramatic 2-1 overtime victory over Georgia on Sunday afternoon.
After battling Florida on Thursday night, the Tigers will travel to Columbia, S.C., on Sunday afternoon to take on 15th-ranked South Carolina in a match set to kick off at noon CT at Stone Stadium. The game will also feature a live television broadcast to a nationwide audience on ESPNU.