BATON ROUGE – Thursday’s home finale for the LSU soccer team is sure to be one for the ages with SEC Championship implications as the Tigers battle their fellow SEC-leading South Carolina Gamecocks in a match that is set to kick off at 7 p.m. CDT at the LSU Soccer Stadium.
The Tigers (11-5-1, 6-2 SEC) and Gamecocks (12-5, 6-2) enter Thursday’s contest in a four-way tie at the top of the SEC table with Florida and Georgia as each team has secured 18 points in league play.
Both Auburn and Tennessee are lurking just three points behind in a tie for fifth place with equal marks of 5-3 in the SEC for 15 points on the conference table.
LSU is unbeaten in its last nine matches played at the LSU Soccer Stadium since defeating Arkansas with a score of 1-0 in its 2010 regular season finale on Oct. 29 of last year. The Tigers are now 8-0-1 since that match, including an unbeaten 7-0-1 mark during the 2011 campaign.
Fans have the opportunity to “Geaux Free!” to experience Thursday’s clash of SEC heavyweights as there is free admission to the match, compliments of The Advocate. Fans who are unable to attend the match on Thursday are reminded that live streaming video of the contest is slated for a 6:55 p.m. start for those with a subscription to the Geaux Zone at www.LSUsports.net/live.
“We expect to compete in these games when championships are on the line, as part of our program here at LSU,” said LSU head coach Brian Lee. “We’re looking forward to an electric environment tomorrow as it is our home finale. Our fans have really been tremendous in supporting this team all season long.”
The Tigers and Gamecocks have battled one another in one of the SEC’s most hotly-contested rivalries on the pitch in recent years while playing to a 1-1-4 mark in six matches since 2007.
The sides played to a 1-1 draw in the semifinal round at the 2010 SEC Tournament before South Carolina earned a spot in the conference final with a 4-3 victory in a penalty kick shootout in their last meeting last season. South Carolina also earned a 1-0 shutout in Columbia, S.C., in their last regular-season meeting in 2010. The Tigers shut out the 10th-ranked Gamecocks by a 1-0 margin in their last matchup played here at the LSU Soccer Stadium in Baton Rouge during the 2009 season.
South Carolina has caught fire with its performance in recent weeks and has risen to the top of the SEC on the strength of its five-game winning streak in SEC play. The Gamecocks have not been defeated in league play since a 1-0 setback against Kentucky at home in Columbia on Sept. 30.
Thursday is a special night for five LSU Soccer seniors as Taryne Boudreau, Allysha Chapman, Mo Isom, Natalie Martineau and Kellie Murphy will be honored before kickoff as part of Senior Night festivities.
It’s a senior class that has helped provide the foundation for a program competing for its first SEC regular season championship in program history, as well as its fourth SEC West crown in five seasons, and fourth NCAA Tournament appearance in as many seasons. It also has the opportunity this fall to become just the second senior class in program history to win 50 games in four seasons as it has helped LSU post a record of 48-21-13 since the 2008 campaign.
After battling the Gamecocks on Thursday night, the Tigers travel to Gainesville, Fla., on Sunday to battle the SEC co-leading Florida Gators in a match scheduled to kick off at 1 p.m. CDT at Pressley Stadium for a live nationally-televised broadcast as part of ESPNU’s coverage of the Southeastern Conference. LSU is then set to wrap up the 2011 regular season on Friday, Oct. 28, at Arkansas.