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Soccer Hosts No. 11 Auburn on SEC NetworkSoccer Hosts No. 11 Auburn on SEC Network

Soccer Hosts No. 11 Auburn on SEC Network

Soccer Hosts No. 11 Auburn on SEC Network

BATON ROUGE – The SEC Network will broadcast live from the LSU Soccer Stadium in Baton Rouge on Thursday night when LSU plays host to 11th-ranked Auburn with kickoff set for 6 p.m. CT as the Tigers will open up the homestretch of their 2016 regular season with an SEC homestand featuring three matches in eight days.

Jenn Hildreth and former U.S. Women’s National Team star Heather Mitts will provide the commentary for the SEC Network as the match will be broadcast to a nationwide audience. Online streaming video will also be available on the SEC Network+ as fans can watch the action at ESPN3.com and using the WatchESPN app on all smartphone and tablet devices.

This marks LSU’s second appearance on the SEC Network this season as the Tigers (7-9, 2-6 SEC) opened Southeastern Conference play on the network at Texas A&M in College Station back on Sept. 11.

Fans can also follow all the action from each match during the 2016 season by following @LSUSoccer on Twitter at http://twitter.com/lsusoccer and Instagram at http://instagram.com/lsusoccer and by liking LSU Soccer on Facebook at http://facebook.com/lsusoccer. Fans are also invited to join in the team’s live in-game chat on Facebook throughout Thursday’s match.

The first 500 fans through the gates at the LSU Soccer Stadium for Thursday’s SEC clash against Auburn (11-4, 7-1) will receive free LSU Soccer tank tops, courtesy of the LSU Marketing & Promotions Department.

LSU will look to spoil Auburn’s SEC-title run and take a big step toward its own SEC Tournament qualification after picking up a big three points with a 1-0 road win at Mississippi State last Friday night. The Tigers ended a five-game losing skid in league play with their win in Starkville to move into 11th place and just one point outside of the 10-team qualification for the SEC Tournament.

LSU’s First-Team All-SEC striker Jorian Baucom helped put the Tigers back in the win column at Mississippi State as she scored the winning spot kick in the 60th minute for her team-leading 10th goal of the year.

Baucom’s 10th goal of the season, and fifth goal from the penalty spot, tied her as the No. 3-ranked goal scorer in the SEC and No. 22-ranked goal scorer in the NCAA during the 2016 season. Redshirt sophomore keeper Caroline Brockmeier also saved all five shots on target she faced on the night for her sixth clean sheet of the season.

Auburn, winner of six SEC matches in a row heading into Thursday’s kickoff in Baton Rouge, finds itself in a three-team race for the SEC Championship as it currently sits second on the league table with a 7-1 record and 21 points in eight conference matches. No. 2-ranked South Carolina tops the table with a perfect 8-0 mark and 24 points, while No. 14-ranked Arkansas follows in third place overall with 18 points.

All-SEC midfielder Casie Ramsier fired Auburn to its sixth-straight league win with a 3-2 defeat of Arkansas last Friday night as she scored the winning goal in the 82nd minute en route to receiving SEC Offensive Player of the Week honors on Monday. Ramsier also scored twice in Auburn’s 3-2 extra-time win over LSU in their last meeting on The Plains on Sept. 25 of last season.

The series between LSU and Auburn has been defined by streaks in recent years as Auburn has won each of the last six meetings between the two sides since the 2011 season after LSU posted an unbeaten mark of 4-0-1 in five matches played between the two teams from 2007-10. Auburn owns a 16-8-1 advantage in the all-time series that dates back to 1995.

While falling eight games off the pace at 8-16-1 in those 25 matches, LSU has gotten the better of its SEC rival at home in Baton Rouge with a 5-4 record in nine matches played all-time at the LSU Soccer Stadium.

After playing host to 11th-ranked Auburn on Thursday night in a match that is sure to shape the SEC-title race, the Tigers follow with a pair of home matches that will stream online on the SEC Network+ as they host the Alabama Crimson Tide on Sunday at 1 p.m. before wrapping up their regular season against 14th-ranked Arkansas next Thursday night at 7 p.m. at the LSU Soccer Stadium.