BATON ROUGE – The 18th-ranked LSU soccer team continues its four-game Southeastern Conference road swing this weekend with a trip to Auburn, Ala., on Friday night to battle SEC West rival Auburn in a match set for kickoff at 7 p.m. CDT under the lights at the Auburn Soccer Complex.
Friday’s fixture will feature the two premier programs in the SEC Western Division in a derby that is sure to impact the race for this year’s SEC regular season championship.
Auburn will provide live streaming video of the match on its athletics website with an all-access premium subscription purchased online at www.auburntigers.com.
Live updates and exclusive coverage of Friday’s match between the two Tigers 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.
LSU (10-4-1, 5-1 SEC) enters the weekend in a tie for first place atop the SEC table with Florida as it has matched its best start in conference play in program history from the 2009 season. The 2009 team went on to finish runner-up in the final league standings for the second year in a row with a team best 8-2-1 record and 25 points in SEC play to finish just one point behind the Gators for the SEC Championship.
The Tigers are coming off a historic win on Sunday afternoon in Lexington, Ky., with a 2-0 shutout of the Kentucky Wildcats for their first victory in program history at the UK Soccer Complex.
LSU is ranked among the Top 20 programs in the country for the second week in a row at No. 18 with the release of this week’s Soccer America Top 25 after entering the poll at No. 14 a week ago.
“We’re looking forward to another exciting Friday night in the SEC,” said LSU head coach Brian Lee. “It is always a challenge to go on the road in this league and get three points, but we also understand the SEC Championship will be won with success on the road. It’s important for us to do what’s necessary with our preparation to give ourselves the best opportunity to come out with a win.”
LSU currently owns a six-point lead over Auburn (9-4-1, 3-3) in the SEC Western Division standing with the Tigers from the Plains looking to snap a three-game losing streak in league play on Friday night.
LSU also owns an impressive four-game winning streak and five-game unbeaten streak against Auburn in the series with a 4-0-1 mark since the 2007 SEC Tournament, including a 2-1 victory in their last meeting at the LSU Soccer Stadium in Baton Rouge on Oct. 3 of the 2010 regular season. The Tigers also shut out Auburn by a score of 2-0 in their last meeting on The Plains during the 2009 regular season.
LSU has not suffered a defeat to its rival since Oct. 12, 2007, when Auburn last picked up a 2-0 victory in Auburn during the 2007 regular season. The squad is quickly closing the gap in the series as it is 8-10-1 in matches played against Auburn after owning a 4-10 mark prior to its five-game unbeaten streak.
Friday’s match features two of the elite offensive attacks in the SEC this fall as both LSU and Auburn are among the league leaders in goals, assists and points scored in SEC matches.
LSU is tied for the No. 1 spot among SEC teams while scoring 15 goals and recording 17 assists in the six conference games played to this point in the season. The Tigers are also ranked No. 1 overall among each of the 12 SEC teams with 47 points scored en route to a 5-1 conference mark.
While owning the league’s most prolific offensive attack, LSU also features one of the SEC’s top units on defense this season while allowing a league-low six goals for a 0.98 goals against average in SEC action.
Auburn features a potent attack of its own in scoring 13 goals and dishing out 17 assists for 43 points with a 3-3 record in six league games while sitting in a tie for sixth place at nine points on the SEC table.
Senior All-American and Hermann Trophy candidate Katy Frierson is one of the premier offensive threats in all of college soccer while scoring three goals and posting an SEC-leading 11 assists for a team-leading 17 points on the campaign. Junior midfielder Ana Cate has enjoyed a breakout season in 2011 as the team leader with seven goals scored on the campaign, including three goals in SEC play.
After battling the Auburn Tigers on Friday night, LSU will travel to Tuscaloosa on Sunday afternoon with a match against the rival Alabama Crimson Tide that is set to begin at 1 p.m. CDT at the Alabama Soccer Stadium. The Tigers will then return home on Thursday, Oct. 20, for their 2011 home finale against South Carolina in a match that is scheduled for a 7 p.m. kickoff at the LSU Soccer Stadium.