With its spot in the NCAA tournament almost guaranteed, the LSU soccer team wasn’t exactly sweating the selection show as it gathered to watch its postseason fate Monday afternoon in the Lawton Room.
“The kids all knew we were in the tournament, so it wasn’t an ‘in-or-out’ anxiety, but we wanted to know who we got,” LSU coach Brian Lee said.
Who the Tigers “got” is geographic rival and top-16 national seed Texas A&M (15-5-2, 6-1-1 Big 12), which will host LSU in College Station, Texas, in the first round Friday night.
While LSU (13-7-1, 8-3 SEC) is done with Southeastern Conference play this season, the Aggies game will soon become a staple of the LSU schedule when A&M joins the SEC next fall.
“They’re coming into the SEC West, I presume, next year, and I feel they’re our natural rival anyway,” Lee said. “But it’s a credit to the players here because this wasn’t a rivalry seven years ago. Now, we’re facing them in another big