LEXINGTON, Ky. – After suffering its first SEC defeat of the 2011 season on Friday night, the 14th-ranked LSU soccer team looks to return to the win column Sunday afternoon with a challenging road test against the Kentucky Wildcats in a match set to kick off at noon CDT at the UK Soccer Complex.
The Tigers (9-4-1, 4-1 SEC) saw their six-game winning streak and nine-game unbeaten streak snapped in double overtime on Friday night after suffering a heartbreaking 2-1 setback to Vanderbilt in a fixture held at the Vanderbilt Soccer Complex on campus in Nashville, Tenn.
Despite the loss, the Tigers are still tied atop the SEC table with the Florida Gators as the two squads have secured 12 points with matching 4-1 records through five SEC matches played this season.
LSU looks to rebound against a Kentucky team that boasts a No. 10 ranking in the NCAA’s latest Ratings Percentage Index released earlier this week. The Wildcats (10-3, 3-2) are among five SEC clubs with nine points apiece in a tie for third place in the overall league standings as they have won three of four matches entering Sunday’s contest, including a thrilling 2-1 overtime win over Arkansas on Friday night.
While the Tigers are 3-9-2 against the Wildcats in the all-time series, they own a 3-1-2 mark since 2005 in the tenure of seventh-year head coach Brian Lee. That includes a 1-0 double overtime triumph in their last meeting at the LSU Soccer Stadium in Baton Rouge during the 2010 regular season.
LSU senior midfielder Natalie Martineau scored the game-winning goal for the Tigers in the 104th minute of play a year ago for one of her team-leading five goals during her 2010 junior campaign.
Junior striker Kelsey Hunyadi is the leader of the Kentucky attack as the team’s top scorer for 2011 as she has netted eight goals and dished out seven assists for 23 points on the year. That includes three goals and two assists for eight points during SEC play. Sophomore forward Caitlin Landis has totaled three goals of her own in conference play while also leading the Wildcats in the attack.
Kentucky will provide a live streaming video of Sunday’s fixture with an all-access premium subscription to its official athletics website that can be found at www.ukathletics.com.
Live updates and exclusive coverage of Sunday’s match between the Tigers and Wildcats 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.
After battling the Wildcats on Sunday afternoon, the Tigers will continue their four-game road swing next weekend with a trip through the state of Alabama as they take on the Auburn Tigers in Auburn on Oct. 14 at 7 p.m. CDT and the Alabama Crimson Tide in Tuscaloosa on Oct. 16 at 1 p.m. They will then make the return to Baton Rouge on Thursday, Oct. 20, to face South Carolina in their 2011 home finale.