It’s tune-up time for the LSU soccer team, as the Tigers (3-2-1) hit the road to east Texas this weekend for their final two non-conference games.
The trip kicks off with a visit to Stephen F. Austin tonight, and Rice awaits in Houston on Sunday.
Though Rice may have more of a name brand and is located in a metropolitan area, SFA is likely the tougher challenge.
“They’ll be really similar to big school teams in level [of play],” said LSU coach Brian Lee. “They are a team that is probably the most dominant mid-major in their conference. It would be a real upset for them to drop a league game.”
True to Lee’s word, the Ladyjacks (4-1-1) are the defending regular season and tournament champions in the Southland Conference, finishing with an 8-0 conference mark and a 17-4 record overall after bowing out to Texas A&M in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
With those credentials, the Ladyjacks more closely resemble a middle-of-the-pack Southeastern Conference team than a mid-major foe.
“The last four or five years, they’ve been a consistent threat to be in the top-50 of the RPI,” Lee said. “On the road, against a good team on a Friday night, that’s how we’ll have to win in the SEC. It’s good to replicate that right before we start league play.”
The two teams met last year, with LSU using then-freshman forward Fernanda Piña’s 78th-minute goal to take down the Ladyjacks, 2-1, in Baton Rouge. LSU is 4-0 all-time against Stephen F. Austin.
LSU enters the game with some good vibes dating back to its 1-0 upset of No. 13 USC September 8, which snapped a two-game losing skid.
The Tigers may be getting a reinforcement back in the defensive third, as Lee said injured freshman Megan Lee could return from an ankle sprain she suffered during LSU’s exhibition win against Nicholls St. on Aug. 16.
“It’ll change everybody’s role around a little bit, so you want to take advantage of that versatility,” Lee said. “We think she can make a difference.”
Another freshman who’s already made a difference is forward Summer Clarke, who is one of four Tigers with multiple goals this season. With two goals and an assist already this fall, she and fellow freshman Emma Fletcher are getting their final preparation for their first SEC season.
“It’s just been a lot more physical than we’ve seen before,” Clarke said. “Everyone’s going to challenge you for the ball, and I’m sure it’s only going to get tougher as we go.”
Though Rice has struggled out of the gate this season, the Owls (1-2-2) have played LSU tough in recent years, drawing the Tigers, 1-1, in Baton Rouge last year and winning in double overtime two seasons ago.