BATON ROUGE – The LSU Soccer team will look to get its Southeastern Conference season back on track Thursday night when it welcomes the visiting Tennessee Volunteers to Baton Rouge for a match that is set to kick off at 7 p.m. CT on the SEC Network+. Admission to the LSU Soccer Stadium is free throughout the 2016 season.
The first 500 fans through the gates at the LSU Soccer Stadium on Thursday night will be given their own set of 2016 LSU Soccer Trading Cards, courtesy of the LSU Marketing & Promotions Department. Those attending are invited to join the team for a post-match autograph session following the final whistle.
Thursday’s match will stream live on the SEC Network+ as fans unable to attend can watch online at http://ESPN3.com or through the WatchESPN app available on all smartphones and tablet devices.
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 even invited to join in the team’s live in-game chat on Facebook throughout Thursday’s SEC clash.
FREE #LSU Soccer Trading Cards for 1st 500 fans through the gates tomorrow night vs. Tennessee! Admission is FREE! #AllForLSU pic.twitter.com/c25LJE0EFj
— LSU Soccer (@LSUSoccer) October 5, 2016
The Tigers (6-7, 1-4 SEC) and Volunteers (7-6, 2-3) have played an entertaining series in recent years, especially since Brian Lee‘s arrival in Baton Rouge in the 2005 season. The teams have combined to score 36 goals on match day for an average of 2.77 goals per match in their 13 meetings in all competitions since Lee’s appointment, including both the regular season and SEC Tournament.
While Tennessee holds a slight 6-4-3 edge in those contests, the Tigers have been nearly unbeatable on their home field in Baton Rouge as they are riding a four-game unbeaten streak in the series since a 3-0 win over then No. 6-ranked Tennessee on Oct. 5, 2007. LSU made history with that victory as it marked the program’s first ever win over an opponent ranked among the Top 10 in the national rankings.
LSU’s four-game home unbeaten run against Tennessee stands at 3-0-1 since 2007 as the Tigers have outscored the Volunteers by an 11-2 margin in those four matches played at the LSU Soccer Stadium. Not only did a top-10-ranked Tennessee club fall in Baton Rouge during the 2007 season, but the Tigers also shut out the No. 10-ranked Volunteers, 2-0, on Sept. 30, 2011, en route to a second-place SEC finish that season. The streak also includes a 5-1 win on Sept. 27, 2009, and a 1-1 draw the last time the teams met in Baton Rouge on Sept. 27, 2013.
The Tigers are 3-1-1 in five matches played against Tennessee in Baton Rouge under Lee’s direction, while Tennessee holds a sizable 12-4-3 advantage in 19 matches played all-time between the two teams.
New Zealand international Hannah Wilkinson is back to lead the line for Tennessee in her final collegiate season as the former First-Team All-SEC striker is the team’s top scorer yet again with six goals on the year. Rylie O’Keefe is Tennessee’ second-leading scorer this fall with four goals as the sophomore midfielder has also netted a team-best three game-winning goals entering Thursday’s match.
The Tigers continue to feature one of the NCAA’s leading goal scorers as junior First-Team All-SEC forward Jorian Baucom is tied for No. 11 on the national list and ranks No. 2 in the SEC with her nine goals in 2016. She’s followed by Delaney Sheehan with three goals and fellow All-SEC striker Summer Clarke with two goals.
The Tigers are back on the road this weekend as they travel to Athens, Georgia, on Sunday afternoon to square off against the Georgia Bulldogs in a match that is scheduled to kick off at 1 p.m. CST at the Turner Soccer Complex. They follow with a match at Mississippi State on Friday, Oct. 14, with kickoff set for 7 p.m. at the MSU Soccer Field in Starkville.