The LSU soccer team rarely leaves the Gulf Coast region for non-conference games, much less ventures above the Mason-Dixon line.
But the Tigers will travel farther north than they ever have in program history this weekend when they play Minnesota (4-0) on Friday and No. 19 USC (3-0) on Sunday as part of the Minnesota Gold Classic in Minneapolis.
“It is a long way,” coach Brian Lee said. “A nice excuse to get out of Louisiana heat right now and play sort of a [Southeastern Conference]-type weekend against NCAA Tournament-caliber teams.”
The visit is part of an enhanced non-conference schedule this season for LSU, which includes two ranked foes and three additional teams that finished with top-60 Ratings Percentage Index finishes last season.
The Tigers (2-1-1) dropped their first contest of the season on Monday, allowing three unanswered goals to No. 8 BYU in a 4-2 loss.
But that defeat, along with facing the currently undefeated Golden Gophers squad and perennial Pac-12 power USC, should improve LSU’s postseason chances.
“It’s really tricky — it’s an RPI math quotient,” Lee said. “You want to play best teams possible who have an RPI number that is beneficial if you beat them. It’s just, geographically, we live where the nearest top-100 team is usually four-and-a-half hours away in Stephen F. Austin and Rice. So you take creative ways like this to maximize your schedule.”
This weekend is the first time LSU has played in another team’s invitational classic since 2009, when the Tigers played Duke and No. 1 North Carolina in the Duke Nike Classic.
While Lee is considering the numbers when scheduling, it’s a no-brainer for the players when they get to line up against power-conference foes.
“It’s great for us, to get these good matches,” junior midfielder Alex Arlitt said. “In order to improve, you need to play better teams, and the higher our rank can be. We’re good enough to match good teams.”
Though the Tigers faltered late against BYU, they controlled 55 percent of the possession and completed 100 more passes in defeat.
That crisp passing will be put to the test against a physical Minnesota squad, which already has a win in Big Ten play.
“They’re a typical Big Ten team, which means they’ll be tall, strong and dangerous on set pieces and tough in the tackle and challenging balls in the air,” Lee said. “ Minnesota is always a team in the tournament or among the last few out, so it’s a quality bunch.”
The match is LSU’s fourth all time against a Big Ten squad and the first since facing Illinois in 2010. LSU is 1-2 against the conference in three previous meetings.