For two teams that didn’t play during the regular season, LSU and Auburn seem to be familiar foes as they face off today in the first round of the Southeastern Conference Tournament in Orange Beach, Ala.
Perennial contenders for the now-defunct SEC Western Division crown, the pair of Tigers have met four times in the tournament, with LSU (9-8-2, 5-5-1 SEC) sporting a 2-1-1 record in the matches.
But it’s Auburn (7-8-4, 3-5-3 SEC) that comes in with the momentum. The Tigers on the plains went unbeaten in their final six matches, going 3-0-3 to narrowly nab the No. 10 and final seed.
That is the polar opposite of LSU, which led the SEC three weeks ago but lost its final five games to miss out on a first-round bye and stumble to the No. 7 seed.
For the second straight year, LSU needs a strong run in the tournament to extend its season. Last year, Ole Miss ousted LSU with a last-minute goal to end the Tigers’ season when a win or two could have earned LSU an NCAA Tournament berth.
This time, LSU probably needs even more help. A No. 79 RPI means LSU has little chance to earn an at-large NCAA berth.
“Two quality wins or two top-40 wins would get us there,” said LSU coach Brian Lee. “That means three wins total, and by that time, we’d be in the finals with a chance to earn the automatic bid. That needs to be the focus: winning games to win the tournament, not for RPI reasons.”
The winner will meet No. 2 seed Texas A&M in the second round. The Aggies outlasted LSU 3-2 on Halloween night to close out the regular season.
Freshman forward Summer Clarke scored both goals in that match, giving her 10 for the season.
With freshman forward Casie Ramsier leading Auburn with nine goals, it makes Monday’s match a freshman showdown.
“Summer’s certainly been our primary scorer, and our offense goes when she goes,” Lee said. “There are freshman all over the league doing it, but we’re happy to have her.”
Fellow freshman Emma Fletcher set an LSU freshman record with 12 assists this season, eight of them setting up goals for Clarke.
LSU gets freshman Megan Lee back at full strength, as she missed two LSU games and then played two matches in two days last week.
She played for New Zealand’s national team in Wednesday’s friendly and then was run ragged as Texas A&M piled up 31 shots Thursday.
“Megan’s kind of our ‘Miss Versatile,’” Lee said. “It was a difference not having her like normal. With her in the lineup, we know we can move her to any position on the field and she’ll plug up the problem.”
Auburn is one year removed from making the SEC Tournament finals, while LSU has not won a game in Orange Beach since 2010. Auburn beat LSU 3-0 in the first round of the 2011 tournament.