BATON ROUGE – After scoring a deserved 2-0 shutout of 10th-ranked Tennessee on Friday night, the SEC-leading LSU soccer team (8-3-1, 3-0 SEC) will wrap up its eight-game homestand on Sunday with a match against the Georgia Bulldogs that is set to kick off at 1 p.m. CDT at the LSU Soccer Stadium.
Fans have the opportunity to “Geaux Free!” to experience Sunday’s SEC derby as admission is free to the two remaining home matches this season, compliments of The Advocate.
Fans who are unable to attend the match are reminded that live streaming video of the contest is slated for a 12:55 p.m. start for those with a subscription to the Geaux Zone at www.LSUsports.net/live.
Live updates and exclusive coverage of Sunday’s match between the Tigers and Bulldogs 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.
The Tigers are flying high in the wake of their performance against the Lady Volunteers on Friday as they are winners of five-straight matches and unbeaten in their last eight contests while posting a 7-0-1 mark in that time dating back to a 2-1 road win at Houston on Sept. 6. LSU also owns an eight-game unbeaten run at the LSU Soccer Stadium dating back to a 1-0 shutout of Arkansas in the 2010 regular season finale.
That includes three wins to open SEC play as LSU is tied atop the league table with Auburn as each squad has taken nine points from three matches to kick off the conference slate.
Georgia (8-3, 2-1) follows in a four-way tie for sixth place on the league table with six points as they have now won two-straight SEC matches following Friday’s 1-0 shutout at Arkansas. The road-tested Bulldogs are actually a perfect 5-0 in matches away from Athens as they enter Sunday’s match in Baton Rouge.
The Tigers will look to avenge a 1-0 shutout at the hands of the Bulldogs in their last meeting in Athens a year ago as they dropped to 4-7-1 in the series. While they might have suffered a setback a year ago, LSU owns a winning 3-2-1 mark against its SEC East rival under head coach Brian Lee since he seized control of the program during the 2005 season, including a 2-0-1 mark in Baton Rouge.
The Bulldogs certainly pose a challenge to the LSU defense as they feature the SEC’s leading scorer with sophomore midfielder Alexa Newfield scoring nine goals and 22 points in 11 matches this year. Georgia’s attack also features senior Ashley Miller and sophomore Madeline Barker with three goals apiece.
The Tigers have also caught fire in the attack with the start of league play while scoring 10 of 21 goals for the season in their three SEC victories over the last eight days.
Senior midfielder Taryne Boudreau is the team’s leading scorer for 2011 as she has netted seven goals for the year while dishing out three assists for 17 points overall. Boudreau is one of five Tigers with at least two goals on the season as she is followed by senior midfielder Kellie Murphy with three goals and junior Natalie Ieyoub, sophomore Addie Eggleston and freshman Alex Arlitt with two goals apiece.
While senior midfielder Natalie Martineau has scored just one goal so far this season, she has dished out a team-leading and career-high seven assists to rank No. 2 among SEC players this fall. In fact, Martineau has now been credited with at least one assist in six-straight matches in helping to lead the LSU attack.
Sunday’s contest provides the Tigers with an opportunity for a crucial victory over an opponent ranked as one of the Top 50 teams in the Ratings Percentage Index as Georgia is currently No. 47 in the RPI.
After wrapping up their eight-game homestand against Georgia on Sunday afternoon, the Tigers will head back on the road next weekend as they take on the Vanderbilt Commodores in Nashville, Tenn., on Oct. 7 at 7 p.m. CDT and the Kentucky Wildcats in Lexington, Ky., on Oct. 9 at noon. They won’t make a return to Baton Rouge until Thursday, Oct. 20, when they battle the South Carolina Gamecocks.