LSU soccer is heading to the home of the blues on Saturday at 7 p.m. when it faces No. 6 seed Memphis in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
After barely clinching the 10th-seed spot in the SEC Tournament, the Tigers fell to Kentucky. The 110-minute physical battle ended in a penalty shootout, which Kentucky won 4-2. 
While all conference tournaments wrapped up a week later, LSU patiently waited to see if its season performance, which includes notable wins, could earn the team an NCAA berth. 
Key triumphs over then No. 9 Texas and eventual SEC Tournament Champion Georgia in the regular season largely helped build LSU’s case to make the NCAA Tournament. 
Thirty one conference winners received automatic bids. LSU was among the other 33 teams receiving an at-large bid to make up the 64 teams in the tournament, which includes eight SEC teams.
The matchup against the Memphis Tigers in the Fayetteville Regional will not be easy for 8-7-4 LSU. 
Memphis consistently ranked within the top 10 in the United Soccer Coaches Top 25. Right now, it’s 18-1 with a perfect 9-0 record in conference games. 
With a 2-1 win over SMU, Memphis won the American Athletic Conference Championship for the third consecutive year. 
This team has been dominant against opponents. Memphis’ success is largely due to its formidable defensive performance each game. 
In the NCAA, Memphis is first in goals against average and has only allowed seven goals all season. The Memphis Tigers have the highest shutout percentage in the NCAA with 13 out of 19 games ending scoreless for opponents.
Memphis Goalkeeper Kaylie Bierman is the backbone of this defense and was recently named 2023 AAC Goalkeeper of the Year. She was No. 1 in the AAC for save percentage, goals against average and shutouts per game. 
LSU had a scrappy performance in its last game with 18 fouls, so it’s important the Tigers cleanly and consistently push forward against Memphis to create offensive opportunities.
LSU has the talent and potential to go further than expected in this tournament. Forwards Mollie Baker, Rammie Noel, Taylor Dobles and more constantly attack the goal.
However, the team’s inability to keep control and finish at the goal with accuracy has held it back. 
LSU goalkeeper Mollee Swift and the backline will also face a challenge in a strong Memphis offense. 
As a whole, Memphis takes numerous scoring chances and has 335 shots total. Containing forward Mya Jones, who has 10 goals, 11 assists and 77 shots, is crucial for LSU. 
In head coach Sian Hudson’s first season at LSU in 2021, she took the Tigers to the NCAA Tournament where they lost to Memphis 3-0 in the first round. In 2023, Hudson has confidence in her team to finish the job.
“We will be reflecting on a lot of things that we learned from Memphis as a team last time we faced them in 2021,” Hudson said in a press release on Monday. “Brooks (Monaghan) has done a great job there, only losing once this year, so it’s going to be a really difficult game, but we’ll be ready for it.”
LSU has been given one more chance, and it needs to play harder and more aggressive than in previous games to win this matchup. 
The Tigers that come out on top will go on to face the winner of No. 3 Notre Dame and Valparaiso on Nov. 17.