It’s officially time to win or go home for LSU’s soccer team (14-3-2).Today’s first round NCAA tournament game against Washington (14-5-1) begins the Tigers’ second straight postseason run.”We’re a fairly experienced team now,” said LSU coach Brian Lee. “Almost the whole squad was in the NCAAs last year and had some success. That group of kids has been able to improve from eighth in the SEC to fourth to second this year. A big goal is ‘How far can we go in the tournament?’ Can we do better than we’ve done? For us, that would mean the Sweet 16 and beyond.”LSU won the Southeastern Conference Western Division and was subsequently eliminated from the SEC tournament semifinal in both 2007 and 2008. Last season the Tigers responded to the loss with a 1-0 victory against Samford in the first round of the NCAA tournament.”We want to make it at least to the second round like we did last year,” said junior midfielder Malorie Rutledge. “I said earlier in the season my goal was the Sweet 16. That’s the team’s expectation, and until we reach that, I don’t think we’re going to be too, too happy about it.”Washington is making its first tournament appearance since 2004. The Huskies finished their season tied for third place in the Pac-10 and have played against eight tournament teams.The results of those games have been mixed at best, with the Huskies losing, 4-0 and 5-1, to No. 1 seeds UCLA and Stanford, respectively. But Washington has also played admirably in several key games, taking No. 2 seed Portland and defending national champion USC to overtime before falling, 1-0 and 3-2, respectively.”They’ve been in the Pac-10, so they’ve been through the rigors just like we have in the SEC,” Lee said.The Tigers will also benefit from the NCAA’s scheduling decisions for the second straight year. The selection committee sent LSU to Tallahassee, Fla., for the first round in 2007. This year, Texas A&M will host the Tigers in College Station, Texas, a mere 365 miles away from Baton Rouge.Washington will have traveled 2,258 miles and crossed two time zones when it arrives in Texas to start the tournament.If LSU can get past the Huskies, it faces the prospect of playing Texas A&M, which is the No. 3 seed in the Tigers’ bracket.”We played A&M in the spring, and we know we can compete with them,” said junior forward Rachel Yepez. “We have to worry about Washington first, obviously, but being at A&M, we know we can beat them.”Kickoff is set for 4 p.m. today at Aggie Stadium.The winner of the LSU-Washington match and the winner of the Aggies’ matchup against Texas State will square off in the second round Sunday.
 
 
 
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