Baton Rouge, La. – The LSU Soccer team (2-6-1) returns home to the LSU Soccer Stadium on Friday, September 18 to face No. 16 South Carolina (7-1-0) at 7 p.m. CT. The Tigers and Gamecocks will meet for the 24th time in program history with streaming happening on SECN+.
The Tigers will look to bounce back on Friday night after a hard fought 3-1 loss to Tennessee.
The Tigers have faced a challenging stretch over their last five matches. LSU opened the stretch with a narrow 1-0 loss to ASU, followed by a 1-1 draw against Arizona. The Tigers then fell to Baylor, 2-0, before bouncing back with a 3-2 victory over Miami (OH). LSU closed out the stretch with a 3-1 loss to Tennessee.
The Gamecocks enter the matchup against LSU with Top-25 wins against Clemson and Florida. South Carolina also has dominating wins against Oregon State, Wyoming, Furman, Colorado State and College of Charleston. Their lone loss of the season comes from a 3-0 contest against Wake Forest.
Sara Pollock Dickson and Garrett Walvoord will be covering the action between the Tigers and Gamecocks. Live stats and streaming links for the action are available here.
Tickets to attend the match are available here.
THE MATCHUP
Thursday’s meeting will mark the 24th matchup between LSU and Tennessee.
South Carolina is led by returning standouts Cuyler Zulauf, Taylor Bloom and Sophie Johnson, along with graduate transfer Sydney Middaugh, who has made an immediate impact in her first season with the Gamecocks.
Middaugh has paced the Gamecocks with three goals and two assists through seven matches, while Reese Slater has added two goals and two assists. Ava Tutas has contributed two goals and an assist, while Emilie Castagna and Sophie Johnson have each added two goals.
South Carolina opened the season with a 2-0 victory over Oregon State before falling to Wake Forest, 3-0. The Gamecocks bounced back with a 1-0 victory over No. 24 Clemson, followed by a 4-0 shutout of Furman. South Carolina then earned a 2-1 road win at Wyoming before cruising to a 6-1 victory over College of Charleston. The Gamecocks closed nonconference play with a 1-0 victory over No. 23 Florida in their SEC opener.
The Gamecocks have scored 17 goals thus far this season with 13 assists,105 shots and 47 points. South Carolina has also recorded five shutouts through its first eight matches.
SEC & MAC HERMANN WATCHLIST
LSU Soccer began the 2026 season with five Tigers named to the 2026 SEC Soccer Preseason Watchlist and two forwards recognized on the United Soccer Coaches 2026 Missouri Athletic Club Hermann Trophy Players to Watch List.
Senior forward Ava Galligan headlines both lists after a standout 2025 campaign that helped lead LSU to the NCAA Sweet 16 for the first time in program history. The Ashburn, Virginia, native led the Tigers with 11 goals and four assists for 26 points last season, including six game-winning goals. Galligan earned First Team All-SEC and United Soccer Coaches All-Southeast Region honors following the 2025 season.
Joining Galligan on the Hermann Trophy Players to Watch List is fifth year forward Allie Fryer, who enters her first season in Baton Rouge after transferring from BYU. The Spanish Fork, Utah, native brings 30 career goals and extensive postseason experience to the Tigers' attack.
The Hermann Trophy Players to Watch List recognizes some of the nation's top returning forwards and serves as an early look at candidates for the prestigious MAC Hermann Trophy, awarded annually to the NCAA Division I Women's Soccer National Player of the Year.
Galligan and Fryer are joined on the SEC Preseason Watchlist by sophomore forward Sariyah Bailey, senior defender Kelsey Major and senior goalkeeper Audur Scheving. Bailey earned Third Team All-SEC and SEC All-Freshman Team honors as a freshman in 2025 after making an immediate impact during LSU's historic postseason run.
Major returns for her senior season as a key piece of the Tigers' back line after starting every match for LSU in 2025, while Scheving enters her senior campaign after recording 42 saves and six wins last season.
The five Tigers named to the SEC watchlist are part of a 75-player group selected from across the conference, while LSU's inclusion of two forwards on the Hermann Trophy list highlights the experience and firepower returning to the Tigers' attack in 2026.
STAT LEADERS
Senior Ava Galligan leads the Tigers offensively through the first nine matches of the season, pacing the team with four goals and nine points. Galligan has also recorded a team-best 27 shots.
Her 27 shots rank in the top-10 in the SEC, while her 3 shots per game rank ninth in the conference according to the latest SEC statistics.
Senior Allie Fryer, juniors Ava Amsden, Linka Ono and Senai Rogers and freshmen Mia Conard Alexia Hansen and Berglind Hlynsdottir have each found the back of the net this season, with Fryer and Amsden converting LSU’s only penalty kicks of the year.
Defensively, junior goalkeeper Audur Scheving has started eight of LSU’s nine matches and has made seventeen saves while helping the Tigers record one shutout. Scheving has also logged 742 minutes in goal this season.
As a team, LSU has scored thirteen goals on 110 shots and has earned 42 corner kicks through nine matches. The Tigers have been especially disciplined in the attacking third, recording just ten offsides this season which ranks second least in the SEC.
LOOKING AHEAD
LSU will travel on the road to Norman to continue SEC play against Oklahoma at 7 p.m. CT on Thursday, September 24, before returning home to face Georgia on Sunday, September 27 .
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