The Tigers face their first conference test against a ranked opponent tonight as No. 16 Tennessee rolls into the LSU soccer stadium.
Entering tonight’s match with a seven-game unbeaten streak with a 6-0-1 record, the Tigers look to extend their conference record to a Southeastern Conference leading 3-0 against a Volunteers program that LSU hasn’t lost to since 2009, when LSU knocked the Vols out of the first round of the SEC tournament in a 1-0 overtime game.
Coach Brian Lee holds a 4-4-5 overall record against ranked opponents during his seven years as LSU’s head coach.
“Tennessee has had a great season,” Lee said. “They’re very athletic and very well coached. They’ve had good game plans all season, and we’re going to have a challenge in front of us Friday, but were preparing like we do every weekend.”
Boudreau posted two goals in each of the past two games for the Tigers, including game winners in both.
Her offensive explosion comes with a strong offensive push for the Tigers since beginning conference play. LSU tallied eight goals in the past two games, despite only scoring 11 through the first nine.
Lee attributed the recent success to positioning players in the right spot.
“Playing Taryne Boudreau a little higher in the field, she and Carlie Banks are giving us a nice partnership in the front, and the midfield is really coming through,” Lee said.
The stout Vols defense could put a damper on the Tigers’ offensive run tonight. Tennessee averages only .5 goals against this year, allowing only four goals through eight games.
“We want to come out hard because we know they’re top 10, so we definitely want to win that game so our rankings go up,” Boudreau said. “That’ll be good because they’re another SEC team and they’re all big