BATON ROUGE – The LSU Soccer program has attracted record crowds throughout the eight years of Brian Lee‘s tenure as head coach, and the Tigers opened their 2012 home slate with another record crowd as 2,624 fans packed the LSU Soccer Stadium to welcome the Rice Owls to Baton Rouge on Friday night.
The Tigers shattered their previous attendance record of 2,542 fans who witnessed a 1-0 win over Oregon in the opening match of the new LSU Soccer Stadium on Sept. 9, 2011.
“Our fans made opening night one to remember for our student-athletes,” Lee said. “The student support was amazing, and it was great to see so many familiar faces of fans who are with us year-to-year. It’s with nights like this that make us all appreciate the joy of being a Tiger.”
LSU Soccer has certainly been a featured attraction in college soccer in recent seasons as the program has consistently ranked among the Top 10 and Top 20 nationally in home attendance.
The Tigers set their all-time attendance record three times during the 2007 season as they cracked the Top 10 in attendance for the first time as the No. 10-ranked team nationally in average attendance and No. 7-ranked team in average paid attendance while drawing an average of 1,294 fans per match. Highlighting a breakout 2007 season was a season-high 2,402 supporters who watched the Tigers take a decisive 3-0 win over No. 6-ranked Tennessee for their first victory over a top-10 ranked opponent.
LSU again cracked the NCAA’s Top 20 in average attendance a year ago as the program drew an average of 1,174 fans per match at the new LSU Soccer Stadium to finish the 2011 campaign as the No. 16-ranked program in the NCAA and among the leading programs in the SEC in home support.
The Tigers are especially strong when competing on their home field as they boast a strong 33-6-8 overall record for a .787 winning percentage at the LSU Soccer Stadium since 2007.
“Our fans create an amazing atmosphere for our home games and make our stadium a special place for us to play,” said LSU senior midfielder Natalie Ieyoub. “It really plays a part in the game. It was pouring for the second half against Rice, and our student section stuck it out. That’s how loyal they are to us. We look forward to getting back on our home field for another big weekend for our team this weekend.”