University of Louisiana at Lafayette Athletics
Thursday, August 13
Hammond, La.
7:00 p.m.
Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns
at
Southeastern Louisiana
Louisiana Soccer Opens 2026 Season at SLU
8/12/2026 4:37:00 PM | Soccer
Ragin' Cajuns begin 27th season on the pitch; faces SLU for first time since 2021
LAFAYETTE – The Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns Soccer team opens its 27th season of intercollegiate competition on Thursday when it travels east to face Southeastern Louisiana at Strawberry Stadium.
Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. The match will be streamed live on ESPN+.
Coming off a 7-6-5 season, Louisiana opens its fifth season under head coach Chris McBride, who served in the same capacity at SLU from 2017-21. The Ragin' Cajuns return 13 letterwinners, including Sun Belt Conference Preseason selections Carson Glenn and Miku Kurihara.
Salma Elheimer – a third-team All-SBC selection in 2025 – returns for her final season at UL along with starters Charlotte Hinchey, Sophia Moore, Maiya Clark, Sydney Byrnes and Chloe Mueller.
Senior goalkeeper Natalie Mayes enters her fourth season at Louisiana after ranking third among Sun Belt Conference goalkeepers in goals against average (1.08), fourth in save percentage (.750), shutouts (5) and shutouts per game (0.28). She recorded 57 saves to finish sixth in the league and enters the season as the program's all-time leader in shutouts (15).
SLU returned 18 letter winners from last season's roster that finished 6-8-4 overall and 5-3-2 in Southland Conference play. The Lions' roster also features nine talented newcomers, including five transfers and four freshmen, for fifth-year head coach Nathan Gillespie.
The match against SLU is the first in-season clash between the schools since 2021 when Louisiana posted a 3-2 victory in Lafayette. SLU leads the all-time series, 7-5-3, with Louisiana going 3-0-1 in the last four meetings.
Louisiana will close its opening weekend of play on Sunday when it plays host to SEC member Ole Miss at the Home Bank Soccer and Track Complex. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m., with the match streamed on ESPN+.
Admission to all Louisiana home soccer matches is free.
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 (@RaginCajuns_SOC) and Facebook (Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns Soccer) or check RaginCajuns.com for Louisiana soccer updates.
MATCH INFORMATION
LOUISIANA (7-6-5 in 2025) at SOUTHEASTERN LOUISIANA (6-8-4 in 2025)
Date / Time: August 13, 2026 / 7 p.m.
Site: Hammond, La.
Stadium: Strawberry Stadium (Artificial)
VIDEO/LIVE STATS/SOCIAL UPDATES
Streaming Video: ESPN+
Live Stats: CajunStats.StatBroadcast.com
Twitter Updates: @RaginCajunsSOC
Hashtag: #GeauxCajuns
SERIES HISTORY
Overall: SLU leads, 7-5-3
At Lafayette: Tied 3-3-2
At Hammond: SLU leads, 4-2-1
Neutral Sites: 0-0-0
Last 10 Meetings: Tied, 4-4-2
Streak: UL +1
Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. The match will be streamed live on ESPN+.
Coming off a 7-6-5 season, Louisiana opens its fifth season under head coach Chris McBride, who served in the same capacity at SLU from 2017-21. The Ragin' Cajuns return 13 letterwinners, including Sun Belt Conference Preseason selections Carson Glenn and Miku Kurihara.
Salma Elheimer – a third-team All-SBC selection in 2025 – returns for her final season at UL along with starters Charlotte Hinchey, Sophia Moore, Maiya Clark, Sydney Byrnes and Chloe Mueller.
Senior goalkeeper Natalie Mayes enters her fourth season at Louisiana after ranking third among Sun Belt Conference goalkeepers in goals against average (1.08), fourth in save percentage (.750), shutouts (5) and shutouts per game (0.28). She recorded 57 saves to finish sixth in the league and enters the season as the program's all-time leader in shutouts (15).
SLU returned 18 letter winners from last season's roster that finished 6-8-4 overall and 5-3-2 in Southland Conference play. The Lions' roster also features nine talented newcomers, including five transfers and four freshmen, for fifth-year head coach Nathan Gillespie.
The match against SLU is the first in-season clash between the schools since 2021 when Louisiana posted a 3-2 victory in Lafayette. SLU leads the all-time series, 7-5-3, with Louisiana going 3-0-1 in the last four meetings.
Louisiana will close its opening weekend of play on Sunday when it plays host to SEC member Ole Miss at the Home Bank Soccer and Track Complex. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m., with the match streamed on ESPN+.
Admission to all Louisiana home soccer matches is free.
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 (@RaginCajuns_SOC) and Facebook (Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns Soccer) or check RaginCajuns.com for Louisiana soccer updates.
MATCH INFORMATION
LOUISIANA (7-6-5 in 2025) at SOUTHEASTERN LOUISIANA (6-8-4 in 2025)
Date / Time: August 13, 2026 / 7 p.m.
Site: Hammond, La.
Stadium: Strawberry Stadium (Artificial)
VIDEO/LIVE STATS/SOCIAL UPDATES
Streaming Video: ESPN+
Live Stats: CajunStats.StatBroadcast.com
Twitter Updates: @RaginCajunsSOC
Hashtag: #GeauxCajuns
SERIES HISTORY
Overall: SLU leads, 7-5-3
At Lafayette: Tied 3-3-2
At Hammond: SLU leads, 4-2-1
Neutral Sites: 0-0-0
Last 10 Meetings: Tied, 4-4-2
Streak: UL +1
Players Mentioned
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/ SoccerMonday, October 27
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