BATON ROUGE – The LSU soccer team looks to get back in the win column on Friday night as it travels to Houston, Texas, to battle the Rice Owls in the fourth fixture of a five-game road swing to open the 2011 season as the sides will kick it off at 7 p.m. CDT at the Rice Soccer Stadium.
Friday’s fixture marks the first meeting on the soccer pitch between the Tigers (1-2) and Owls (2-1) as the match will feature a live webcast at the official home of Rice athletics at www.riceowls.com.
Fans can also receive live updates and behind-the-scenes coverage of Friday’s contest by liking LSU Soccer on Facebook and following @LSUSoccer on Twitter. In addition, fans are also welcome to join in the live in-game commentary throughout the match by joining the live chat on LSU’s Facebook page.
Rice is off to its best start since the 2008 season with a 2-1 record in three matches, including consecutive shutouts in each of its last two outings with a 3-0 shutout at home against the McNeese State Cowgirls on Aug. 21 and a 1-0 shutout on the road against the TCU Horned Frogs on Aug. 26. The Owls also came up on the short end of a 1-0 score in their season opener at Texas Tech on Aug. 19.
Junior defender and 2010 First-Team All-Conference USA performer Amy Beger is the proven leader for the Rice defense, which has been outstanding through the first two weekends of the 2011 campaign. They have surrendered just one goal in three matches while limiting opponents to just 7.7 shots per match.
The Owls also feature an all-conference performer in its midfield as senior standout Hope Ward returns to lead the group after earning Second-Team All-CUSA honors as a sophomore a year ago.
LSU features a diverse attack in its own right with four different Tigers accounting for four goals through three matches. The Tigers look to even their record on Friday night with a second victory in three matches following a 3-0 win over UL-Lafayette on Aug. 21 and a 1-0 defeat at NC State on Monday night.
Senior Natalie Martineau scored the game-winning goal against the Cajuns, while junior Carlie Banks and freshmen Alex Arlitt and Alex Cook have also entered the scoresheet in LSU’s three matches.
After taking on the Rice Owls on Friday night, the Tigers will wrap up their five-game road swing to kick off the 2011 season with a return trip to Houston on Tuesday to battle the Houston Cougars at Robertson Stadium at 7 p.m. CDT. LSU will then return to Baton Rouge for its home opener on Friday, Sept. 9, with a 7:30 p.m. match against the undefeated Oregon Ducks at the new LSU Soccer Stadium.