Ragin' Cajuns Open Home Soccer Slate Against USF

LAFAYETTE – The Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns Women's Soccer team officially kicks off its eight-match home schedule on Sunday when it plays host to American Athletic Conference member South Florida in a White Out match at the Home Bank Track and Soccer Complex.

Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. Admission to all Louisiana home soccer matches is free and all fans are encouraged to wear white for Sunday's contest. Fans will receive Ragin' Cajuns 2023 season posters along with the team holding a post-match autograph session.

The match will be streamed live on ESPN+ with live stats available at CajunStats.com.

Louisiana (0-0-1) opened its season on Thursday on the road with a 1-1 draw at former Sun Belt Conference rival Middle Tennessee. Sisley Stephens scored a first-half goal for the Ragin' Cajuns with Makenna Garcia and Natalie Mayes combining to stop three shots in the match.

Penelope Montenegro, Hailly Waterhouse, Bailey Giddings and Briana Henry each attempted shots for the Ragin' Cajuns with Waterhouse and Lauren Bennett each playing the full 90 minutes in the opener.

USF (1-0-0), the preseason East Division favorite in the AAC, opened its two-match swing through Louisiana on Thursday with a 1-0 win at LSU. Georgia Brown scored the lone goal of the match for the Bulls in the 17^th minute with Arden La-Rose stopping three shots to post her second career shutout.

Fans are encouraged to stay engaged with the Ragin' Cajuns by downloading the #GeauxCajuns app. Click here for iOS/Apple platforms and here for Android platforms.

Follow the Ragin' Cajuns on Twitter (@RaginCajunsSOC), Instagram (@RaginCajunsSOC) and Facebook (Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns Soccer) or check RaginCajuns.com for Louisiana soccer updates.

MATCH INFORMATION
LOUISIANA (0-0-1) vs. SOUTH FLORIDA (1-0-0)
Date / Time: August 20, 2023/ 1 p.m. CT
Site: Lafayette, La.
Stadium: Home Bank Track and Soccer Complex (Grass)

THE COACHES
LOUISIANA
Head Coach: Chris McBride
Record at Louisiana: 3-9-6 (second season); Overall Record: 34-51-21 (seventh season)

SOUTH FLORIDA
Head Coach: Denise Schilte-Brown
Record at USF: 175-91-41 (17^th season); Overall Record: 269-160-58 (26^th season)

VIDEO/LIVE STATS/SOCIAL UPDATES
Streaming Video: ESPN+
Live Stats: CajunStats.com
Twitter Updates: @RaginCajunsSOC
Hashtag: #GeauxCajuns

SERIES HISTORY
Overall: First meeting

SET PIECES
• Louisiana opens its eight-match home slate against American Athletic Conference East Division favorite South Florida.
• The meeting is the first between the schools.
• The match against USF is the first of three for Louisiana this season against teams from the state of Florida. Louisiana will travel to face Florida Atlantic (Aug. 31) and Florida International (Sept. 3).
• The Ragin' Cajuns opened their 2023 season on Thursday with a 1-1 draw at Middle Tennessee.
• The draw was the second for Louisiana in a season-opener and the first since a 1-1 decision against McNeese in 2009
• Eight newcomers saw their first action in a Louisiana uniform.
• Louisiana finished 2-0-0 in its exhibition slate earning road wins over in-state opponents McNeese (2-1) and Northwestern State (1-0).
• The Ragin' Cajuns open with five of their first six regular-season matches on the road.
• Louisiana returns 17 players from the 2022 roster and eight starters for second-year coach Chris McBride.
• Before being named the fourth head coach in school history in February of 2022, McBride spent five seasons at in-state program Southeastern Louisiana where he guided the Lady Lions to an NCAA Regional berth.
• Super Senior Karleen Bedre enters the season ranked in the top five in school history in matches started (72), points (55), goals (19), assists (17), match-winning goals (6) and penalty kicks made (2).
• Bedre enters the weekend second behind South Alabama's Gracie Wilson among active Sun Belt Conference players in points, goals and assists.
• Bedre is third overall among active SBC players in shot attempts (108).
• Bedre's five assists in 2022 were tied for the fifth most in a single season in school history.
• Cassandra Décombe, Lauren Bennett and Makenna Garcia each earned their first career starts in Thursday's opener at MTSU.

UPCOMING MILESTONES/BY THE NUMBERS
• 1 - Goals needed by Karleen Bedre to become the fifth player in school history with 20+ goals in a career.
• 2 - Sets of sisters on the 2022 squad - Mariella and Sisley Stephens; Gabi and Sophie Placke.
• 4 - Points by Karleen Bedre to tie Annika Schmidt (59, 2013-16) for second in school history.
• 6 - Assists needed by Karleen Bedre to tie Ashleigh Cade (23, 2014-17) for the most in school history.
• 11 - Matches played at Southern Miss in 2021 by JUCO newcomer Lauren Bennett.
• 11 - Newcomers on the 2022 roster
• 13 - Points by Karleen Bedre to pass Yazmin Montoya (67, 2013-16) for first place.
• 1363 - Minutes played by Hailly Waterhouse in 2022 – a career-high.

UP NEXT
• Louisiana will go on the road for the next two weekends beginning with a Thursday (Aug. 24) match at in-state opponent Grambling.
• The Ragin' Cajuns will close out the first weekend in Nacogdoches, Texas at Stephen F. Austin (Aug. 27) before heading to the Sunshine State for matches at former SBC rivals Florida Atlantic (Aug. 31) and Florida International (Sept. 3).

Ragin' Cajuns Open Home Soccer Slate Against USF

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Players Mentioned

Karleen Bedre

Lauren Bennett

Makenna Garcia

Bailey Giddings

Briana Henry

Natalie Mayes

Penelope Montenegro

Sophie Placke

Sisley Stephens

Hailly Waterhouse

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