The LSU soccer team remains in the national top 25 for the second straight week, following a 1-1 weekend when the team lost to Auburn 2-0 and defeated Alabama 2-1 on the road. LSU (9-2-4, 3-1-2) dropped from No. 19 to No. 24 in this week’s Soccer America Poll, marking the second time in the program’s history the Tigers are in the poll. LSU’s 3-1-2 start this season has the Tigers second in the Southeastern Conference’s Western Division, 11 points behind Auburn who has 15 points following a 5-1 start. LSU coach Brian Lee said midway through the SEC schedule he is happy with the way the Tigers have played. “We feel very good about where we are in the and with the way the team is performing,” Lee said. The Tigers have been excellent on both ends of the field this season, giving up just 13 goals in 15 games this season, while scoring 35, ranking in the top-half of the conference in both categories. “When we prepare for a team we normally say, ‘If Tennessee will score, we can narrow it to two or three girls who will beat us,'” he said. “With us, we have a number of players that opponents have to prepare for.” The Tigers have five players with four or more goals this season, led by sophomore Rachel Yepez with 10. Sophomore Malorie Rutledge was named the Louisiana Sports Writers Association Player of the Week Tuesday following a two-point weekend, including a game-winning penalty-kick goal in the 14th minute against Alabama to give the Tigers a 2-1 lead. For the season, Rutledge is No. 2 on the team with four goals and No. 2 in the SEC with nine assists in 15 matches. The Tigers return to action this weekend when they travel to face Vanderbilt on Friday before going to Lexington, Ky. on Sunday to play Kentucky. The Commodores are 1-3-1 in the SEC this season after being swept by Georgia and Tennessee this past weekend. In that series of games, the Commodores had defensive problems, allowing three goals in both games. The Wildcats started the season red-hot going 6-0-2 in non-conference play, but have gone 0-6-0 since SEC play began. The Wildcats have been shut out in the past four games, losing the last three matches 1-0. Lee said this weekend will be one of the most important of his team’s season as the Tigers try to get into the NCAA Tournament for the first time in the program’s history. “We like our position and we are playing very well,” Lee said. “We have an outside chance to go out there and still win the SEC West, and if we play well, even the outright conference title is not out of our reach.”
—-Contact Casey Gisclair at [email protected]