For the first time in almost five years, LSU soccer’s season could come to a premature end in October. 

Now in the home stretch of the calendar, its fate becomes more precarious with every match. The outcomes of the final three games will determine whether LSU qualifies in the top 12 for the SEC Tournament in November.  

With everything at stake, the team has to perform at the top of their game and break their two-week losing streak. As No. 13 in the standings, it’s officially game on for the Tigers to fight more than ever. 

All eyes will be on the bottom half of the ranks, as those teams will be the Tigers’ biggest competitors for the remaining two weeks. LSU will play Texas A&M, Vanderbilt and Missouri while teams like Florida, Tennessee and Alabama will also be vying for those final qualifying spots.
With 16 teams in the SEC, only four will go home empty-handed at the end of the regular season. As of now, those bottom four teams are LSU, Florida, Oklahoma and Ole Miss.
LSU’s two victories in conference play came from matches against Oklahoma and Ole Miss. That means if the Tigers can put just one more team below them with a win–whether it’s A&M, Vanderbilt or Missouri–LSU has a decent shot at that 12th place.
Right now, LSU has a 2-5 conference record. Last season, the team made it to Pensacola on a 3-5-2 record, so two draws and a win should be the minimum LSU shoots for.
Easier said than done of course, these matchups will be no piece of cake. 
A&M is next on the calendar and will be one of the harder outcomes to predict.
Talk about highs and lows, the Aggies’ 3-4-0 record is a result of a lots of upsets–good and bad. They lost to Oklahoma, who LSU smoked, but swept Auburn, who shutout in Baton Rouge. 
These scores aside, the Aggies had some relatively similar outcomes to LSU and will be a match the Tigers are gunning for a win. Although, a tie may be more likely, as the teams came to a draw the past two times they met.
The Tigers will travel to College Station for the match this Friday, Oct. 18, at 7 p.m. CT.
Vanderbilt will be the final team to arrive at LSU Soccer Stadium and the biggest statistical threat of the final three opponents.
From drawing the almighty Auburn to most recently defeating Kentucky, the Tigers will need all the support they can get for this grueling matchup. Another loss would hurt any chance at making it to the tournament, and even tying a team like this would go a long way.
In the past three years, LSU has only played Vanderbilt once back in 2022 where the Tigers won 2-1 in their conference opener.
The teams will kick off on Thursday, Oct. 24, at 6 p.m. CT. 
Missouri will be the final matchup of regular SEC play. This team currently holds the last qualifying position, but that is almost sure to change with two weeks of play left.

In their last two games, the Missouri Tigers crushed Ole Miss 5-0, but days later had the scores reversed in a 5-0 loss to Mississippi State. 
If they can’t find it elsewhere, a win here will be necessary for the LSU Tigers to close out the conference outside of the bottom four. 
The final match will take place at Missouri on Sunday, Oct. 27, at 3 p.m. CT.
On the regular season rollercoaster, the Tigers are riding low, but have no desire to get off anytime soon. Thirteenth will not cut it, so they must start winning–or at least drawing–now.
After a problematic mid-season, it’s all on the line for LSU, and time to see if the odds will be in its favor.