BATON ROUGE – For the fourth-straight season, the LSU soccer team will look to clinch an SEC Western Division championship with a win over division rival Arkansas as the Tigers will play host to the Razorbacks in their regular season finale Friday night at 7 p.m. CT at the LSU Soccer Complex.
The Tigers (6-8-4, 3-4-3 SEC) are currently in second place in the division standings with 12 points in the SEC this season as they trail the 14 points earned by Auburn heading into Friday’s action.
LSU can win its fourth-straight SEC West title with a win over Arkansas (5-10-3, 2-6-2 SEC) and either a win or draw by Alabama over Auburn on Friday night. The Tigers have clinched the division crown in each of the last three seasons with a win over the Razorbacks in their regular season finale.
The Tigers are also fighting for seeding in the SEC Tournament when they step onto the pitch Friday as a win against the Razorbacks could earn the team as high as a No. 5 seed in Orange Beach, Ala., next week.
Fans who are unable to attend Friday’s match at the LSU Soccer Complex can listen to a live radio stream of the game by going online to www.totalsportsradio.com.
LSU enters Friday’s contest with an impressive six-game winning streak in the series against Arkansas as it has not dropped a decision to the Razorbacks since the 2003 season. That includes a decisive 4-1 win in the last meeting between the sides at Razorback Field in Fayetteville on Oct. 30 of last year.
But unlike the 2009 season in which it scored just five goals in the SEC, Arkansas boasts one of the more potent offensive attacks in the league while scoring 17 goals in conference play this fall.
Senior midfielder Kelsey Allison caught fire in recent weeks while scoring four goals and 10 points in the last five games. Allison is the team’s leading scorer this season with seven goals and 16 points on the year to rank as the fourth-leading goal scorer and eighth-leading point scorer in the SEC. Senior forwards Ally Atkins and Laurel Pastor have added three goals apiece on the year.
Friday night will be “Senior Night” at the LSU Soccer Complex as team captain Courtney Alexander will be honored prior to the opening kick as the team’s lone senior during the 2010 season.
The LSU Marketing & Promotions Department will also host a Halloween Carnival during Friday’s game as fans are encouraged to wear their Halloween costumes to the match. The first 500 fans through the gate will receive a free glow stick necklace as part of LSU’s final home match of the season.