BATON ROUGE – The LSU soccer team will put its three-game unbeaten streak on the line Friday night while continuing an eight-game homestand by welcoming the McNeese State Cowgirls to the LSU Soccer Stadium for an in-state derby that is scheduled to kick off at 7 p.m. CDT.
Fans have the opportunity to “Geaux Free!” to experience the highest level of college soccer as admission to each of LSU’s home matches this season is free, compliments of The Advocate.
Fans who are unable to attend Friday’s match are reminded that live streaming video of the contest will be available with a subscription to the Geaux Zone at www.LSUsports.net/live.
Live updates and exclusive coverage of Friday’s fixture between the Tigers and Cowgirls is also available by liking LSU Soccer on Facebook and following @LSUSoccer on Twitter. In addition, fans are welcome to join in the live in-game commentary throughout the match as part of LSU Soccer’s Facebook chat.
Friday’s match marks the ninth meeting in the series between the sides on the soccer pitch as LSU (3-3-1) has posted a 7-1 mark in eight previous matches against McNeese State (4-4-0). The teams last met a year ago as the Tigers pitched a 2-0 shutout against the Cowgirls at the LSU Soccer Stadium.
The Tigers enter the match with a measure of momentum following an unbeaten 2-0-1 week capped by an exciting 1-1 draw with the 13th-ranked Pepperdine Waves on Sunday afternoon.
The new LSU Soccer Stadium came alive a week ago as LSU took down the previously unbeaten Oregon Ducks by a 1-0 margin on Friday, Sept. 9 before a record crowd of 2,542 supporters on hand for the home opener that ranked as the fourth-largest attendance in the country for the day. The Tigers then wrapped up their home-opening weekend on Sunday by playing the unbeaten Waves to a 1-1 draw.
McNeese State enters the contest with a streak of its own as it has won each of its last two matches with a 1-0 shutout of Prairie View A&M on Sept. 9 and a 2-0 shutout of Louisiana-Lafayette on Sunday.
It will be “Gold Night” and “Mike’s Kids Club Night” at the LSU Soccer Stadium as fans are encouraged to wear gold while cheering on the Tigers during the match. The first 500 fans will actually receive a gold headband at the front gate, courtesy of the LSU Marketing & Promotions Department. Fans are also asked to join the team on the field for an autograph session following the match.
Friday also marks the start of the 2011 SEC Together We CAN Food & Donation Drive as fans are asked to bring canned foods and other donations to matches being held at the LSU Soccer Stadium over the next three weekends as the campaign will continue through Sunday, Oct. 2.
As part of the fifth-annual SEC Together We CAN Food Drive, all12 member institutions will team up in a league-wide food and donation drive in support of local food banks and shelters across the Southeast.
The canned goods and financial donations collected by the LSU Student-Athlete Advisory Committee for the next 17 days will benefit the Greater Baton Rouge Food Bank.
After battling the Cowgirls on Friday night, the Tigers will wrap up their non-conference slate on Monday as they welcome the Oklahoma Sooners to Baton Rouge for a fixture scheduled to kick off at 7 p.m. CDT at the LSU Soccer Stadium. LSU will then open the SEC season next weekend as they play host to squads from Mississippi State on Sept. 23 at 7 p.m. and Ole Miss on Sept. 25 at 1 p.m.