The Commodores came out on top last week with a 1-0 victory against the Georgia Bulldogs, reestablishing themselves as a force to be reckoned with in the Southeastern Conference (SEC).
Thanks to her goal in the 88th minute, junior forward Haley Hopkins earned the title of SEC Offensive Player of the Week despite playing fewer minutes due to injury. The Commodores are now ranked second in the Southeastern Conference (SEC) East standings with three wins and three losses.
The Commodores hope to continue their winning streak when they match up against the LSU Tigers this Sunday in Baton Rouge. In 2019, the Commodores had a 5-1 victory over the Tigers with senior forward Leila Azari scoring two goals and an assist by the aforementioned Hopkins.
This season is the Tigers’ first under new coach Sian Hudson, a University of Colorado at Colorado Springs (UCCS) transplant, who not only spent time on the professional European circuits but also helped UCCS qualify for their first-ever NCAA tournaments in 2017, 2018 and 2019.
The Tigers have been slow to find their rhythm failing to get a goal within their first three games. Finally by the fourth game, the Tigers figured out how to get the ball in the back of the net with four goals in the past two games, and they now stand at 0-3-2 in the season.
Despite their slow start, the Tigers have some tricks up their sleeves; team captains Chiara Ritchie-Williams and Shannon Cooke were named on the SEC preseason watch list alongside sophomore midfielder Maddie Moreau and junior forward Tinaya Alexander, who has scored two of LSU’s five season goals.
Much like their Florida game, the Commodores will be flying to Baton Rouge one day prior to kickoff in order to counter any potential travel fatigue.
The Commodores will start play in Baton Rouge on Friday, October 30 at 7 p.m. CDT and coverage will be provided by SECN.
