BATON ROUGE - The defending SEC Western Division champion LSU Soccer team will open up its 2012 campaign under the lights on Monday Night Futbol as it makes the trip to Norman, Okla., to take on the Oklahoma Sooners in a match set for a 7 p.m. CT kickoff at the OU Soccer Complex.
The Tigers and Sooners will renew their rivalry on Monday night as the teams have battled one another in five previous meetings on the soccer pitch, including three matches in the last four seasons.
LSU is unbeaten against Oklahoma on the pitch with a 4-0-1 mark all-time in the series. That includes the narrow 2-1 victory when the sides squared off in their non-conference finale in Baton Rouge a year ago.
The Tigers open the 2012 season as winners of four SEC West titles in the last five seasons after posting a 13-8-1 overall record with an 8-3 mark and 24 points in SEC play in 2011. That also earned LSU Soccer a runner-up finish on the final SEC table for the third time in four seasons a year ago.
Fans can receive live updates and behind-the-scenes coverage for Monday's season opener by liking LSU Soccer on Facebook and by following @LSUSoccer on Twitter. In addition, fans are invited to follow the live in-game commentary throughout the match by joining the live chat on LSU's Facebook page.
"We expect a great road test tomorrow night as we open up our 2012 season against a very good team like Oklahoma," said LSU head coach Brian Lee. "We'll learn a lot about our team right out of the gate in this match. Oklahoma is coming off a big win in its season opener on Friday night, and that means they'll play with a tremendous amount of confidence on their home field tomorrow night.
"We need to match their passion and intensity from the opening kick to come away with a result. We have had a great preseason, but now it's time for us to put our preparation into practice."
While the Tigers are set to make their season debut on Monday night, the Sooners (1-0) opened their 2012 campaign with Friday's 2-1 victory over Nebraska in the debut of first-year head coach Matt Potter.
Senior striker Renae Cuellar led the Sooners to a victory by netting both goals in the opener, including the game-winner in the 68th minute of play. The University of Arizona transfer has settled in to her new home after scoring 17 goals in three seasons with the Wildcats from 2009-11.
The Sooners most recently earned an NCAA Tournament berth following the 2010 regular season with an appearance in the Big 12 Tournament championship game. Potter was named the program's head coach in the wake of a 7-13 campaign and ninth-place finish in the Big 12 standings in 2011.
After kicking off the 2012 campaign on Monday with a match at Oklahoma, the Tigers will open up a 10-game homestand on Friday night as they welcome the Rice Owls to the LSU Soccer Stadium for a fixture that is set to kick off at 7 p.m. CT. LSU will then make its television debut on Sunday, Aug. 26, with their match against the NC State Wolfpack set to air on Cox Sports Television.
