No. 6 DBU (5-0-0) vs LOUISIANA STATE UNIVERSITY (5-7-3)
March 12 | 1:00 p.m. | Baton Rouge, Louisiana | LSU Soccer Stadium

MULTI-MEDIA COVERAGE
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COUNTDOWN TO KICKOFF
The No. 6 nationally ranked DBU Women's Soccer team is coming off of their 5th straight win after beating Oklahoma Baptist University by a score of 6-0 Tuesday afternoon on Patriot Field.

DBU would get off to another quick start when senior Delaney Schmidt would score the opening goal of the game inside the first 10 minutes of the match, something the Patriots have now done in four of their five games this year. DBU would continue to keep the pressure on OBU as Marit Auee and Kaleigh Naizer would each find the back of the net to take the Patriots into halftime up 3-0. In the 2nd half, nothing changed for Michelle Lenard's side as Ashley Merrill continued her five game goalscoring streak to bring her total on the season to eight, Kaleigh Nazier got her 2nd of the night, and Alondra Olmos beat the OBU keeper in what was an excellent strike to top off the scoring in the 86th minute.

Once again, the defense and midfield for the Patriots was superb. There were 46 defensive challenges won on the afternoon between the whole team, with 76 passes being intercepted. DBU held OBU to just five shots on target, with only one of those shots being a true test for Adrianna Schroeder.
 
The Patriots continued to showcase the beautiful style of play they possess. DBU controlled the ball for 59% of the game and completed 74% of their total passes. There are several beautiful aspects of what makes the play so fun to watch for DBU; however, something that stands out the most is the way that this team moves off of the ball. Many times, when there is a beautiful string of passes put together, there is undoubtedly perfected movement off of the ball that makes those passes possible, and that is something that this side is really good at.

PATRIOT STORYLINES
 - The backline for the Patriots has had a tremendous first five games of the season, making the case that they are one of the strongest in the country. Between the four defenders that have seen the most action along the defense, there have been 126 defensive challenges won. The strength of this DBU defense is one of the things that has allowed their offense to thrive so far this season.

 - DBU Volunteer Assistant Coach Jimmy Garcia has played a valuable role in this Patriots coaching staff. Garcia is in his second season with the women's side and is the trainer for the Patriot goalkeepers. Garcia was part of the staff that earned United Soccer Coaches Regional Staff of the Year honors in 2019, the same year that saw Hope Koym named Lone Star Conference Goalkeeper of The Year.

 - DBU Freshman Marit Auee continues to impress in her first season on University Hill. Through the first five games of the season, Auee has completed 78% of all of her passes, has an xG of 1.71 while scoring three goals, and has five key passes on the year - all while playing defense. On the defensive side of the ball, she has intercepted the ball 50 times and has completed 39 defensive challenges.

 - This offense for the Patriots in arguably the most electric, versatile, and deepest in program history. There have been 21 goals scored on the year from seven different goal scorers. Between the weapons that rotate within the attack for DBU, there are combined collegiate accolades that include two 2nd Team All-Conference selections, six 1st Team All-Conference selections, five conference All-Tournament selections, one Conference Tournament MVP, one Conference Player of The Year, seven 2nd Team All-Region selections, five 1st Team All-Region selections, one National Player of The Week, and one All-American.
 
- Freshman Kaleigh Naizer has had a terrific start to her Patriot career. Through the first five games, the freshman, who has only been on University Hill for two months, has scored three goals and has one assist. The Midlothian native has contributed four key passes, all of which created a goal scoring chance for DBU.

SCOUTING LOUISIANA STATE
 - The Tigers are currently 5-7-3 but have not lost in the four games they have played so far this spring, winning three and tying one.

- LSU returns 2019 Second Team All-SEC selection in sophomore Maddie Moreau. Moreau was also selected to the SEC All-Freshman Team during her first year in Baton Rouge.

- Head Coach Sian Hudson is in her first year in charge of the Tigers. Hudson came to LSU from NCAA DII side University of Colorado – Colorado Springs. During her time at UCCS, Hudson lead the tigers to a 52-10-4 record, saw them qualify for the NCAA National Tournament for the first three times in program history, and had them ranked the No. 1 team in the nation in 2019. Hudson is familiar to DBU, having faced the Patriots two times during her stint in Colorado Springs, the last time being in 2018 when DBU and UCCS fought to a 0-0 draw.

- Redshirt Junior Tinaya Alexander leads the Tigers with eight goals and three assists on the year.

SERIES HISTORY
The Patriots and the Tigers have never faced off prior to Friday's matchup.

UP NEXT
DBU returns home to continue Lone Star Conference play as they host UT-Tyler on Wednesday, March 17th at Patriot Field. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.