While some students will be dressed up, partying the night away, LSU will be trying to dress the LSU Soccer Complex with another division championship banner.The No. 14 Tigers will try to get back on the winning track tonight against Arkansas after going 0-1-1 in their games last week. If the Tigers are victorious, they will clinch their second consecutive Southeastern Conference Western Division championship and a No. 2 seed in the SEC tournament. LSU drew with South Carolina, 0-0, after two overtime periods Oct. 30 in Columbia, S.C., and the Tigers had their 18-game home unbeaten streak snapped by Florida, 2-1, on Sunday. “We just need to move on,” said junior midfielder Malorie Rutledge. “We have a good Arkansas team to play [tonight] — our last game of the season before we go to the Southeastern Conference tournament. I think we need to get a win there to bounce back.”The Tigers trail Florida in the overall conference standings and sit tied atop the SEC West with Auburn. LSU holds the tiebreaker by virtue of its 2-1 defeat of Auburn earlier this month.Before last week, LSU was on a five-game conference winning streak, where it outscored its opponents 14-3 en route to the wins.Players insisted the tough times they have been having aren’t setbacks, but rather wake-up calls as they enter the final stretch of the season.”[The Florida loss], I don’t think it knocks us back so much as shakes us and wakes us up,” said freshman keeper Mo Isom. “We know exactly what we need to do to get where we want to go.”LSU coach Brian Lee said he was unaware of the length of his team’s unbeaten streak until recently.”[I have] no real big feelings on [the streak ending],” Lee said. “I think it’s a hard place for visitors to play, so we’ve been successful. Hopefully that will continue because we’ve got to rebound and win a game.”Although it may have already clinched a spot in the SEC tournament, Lee said he realizes his team has more work to do if they expect to reach the NCAA tournament.”We’re playing well, which is encouraging,” he said. “But our backs are against the wall from an NCAA tournament standpoint and getting the chance to achieve the things we want to achieve.”The Razorbacks (11-7-0, 4-6) sit in fifth place in the SEC West and ninth place overall in the conference standings with 12 points.Arkansas could jump into one of the top-eight spots in the conference if it is victorious and either Alabama or Ole Miss loses. But the Tigers haven’t lost to the Razorbacks in four seasons.The top-eight teams — regardless of division — advance to the SEC tournament in Birmingham, Ala.Tonight’s match also marks the final home match for three seniors — defender Casey Crawford, forward Roslyn Jones and keeper Jackie Moseley. The three Tigers will all be honored in a pre-match ceremony.
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Division title at stake against Arkansas
By Johanathan Brooks
Sports Contributor
Sports Contributor
October 30, 2008