Louisiana, East Texas A&M Set To Square Off On Soccer Pitch

LAFAYETTE – The Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns Women's Soccer team heads back on the road for the second time this season, traveling to Commerce, Texas, to face Southland Conference member East Texas A&M on Thursday at the Lion Soccer Field.

The first-ever match between the schools is scheduled for a 7 p.m. kickoff, with the contest available on ESPN+.

The match with East Texas A&M (1-1-0) is the second of five meetings overall for Louisiana against the Southland Conference and the first of four straight matches against SLC schools.

Louisiana (1-1-0) opened its season last Thursday with a convincing 4-1 victory at Southeastern Louisiana and improving to 6-0-1 in its last seven season-openers. The Ragin' Cajuns will also host SLC preseason favorite Northwestern State on Sunday before facing in-state foes Nicholls (Aug. 27) and McNeese (Aug. 30) to wrap up the opening month.

The Ragin' Cajuns dropped a 2-1 decision in their home opener on Sunday against SEC member Ole Miss, allowing a pair of goals in a 56-second span in the first half. Miku Kurihara scored her second goal of the season for Louisiana off an assist from Addison Soehn, while the Ragin' Cajuns missed a pair of opportunities for equalizers in the final 10 minutes.

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 (1-1-0) at EAST TEXAS A&M (1-1-0)
Date / Time: August 20, 2026 / 7 p.m.
Site: Commerce, Texas
Stadium: Lion Soccer Field (Grass)

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

THE SERIES
• The meeting between Louisiana and East Texas A&M is the first-ever match on the pitch between the schools.

THE OPPONENT
• East Texas A&M, picked second overall in the Southland Conference Preseason Coaches' Poll, opened its 2026 season on the road with a 1-0 win at Grambling on August 13 before dropping a 2-0 home decision to SEC member Oklahoma on Sunday.
• Former Cajun Liberty Plasek scored the Lions' lone goal against GSU.
• Allyson Reed has taken a team-high four shots in two matches for East Texas A&M while Emily Finlinson (1.32 GAA) has played the majority of minutes in goal for the Lions.

CAJUNS BY THE NUMBERS
1 - Wins needed by head coach Chris McBride to move into sole possession of third place on the school's all-time wins list
3 - Wins needed by McBride to move into second place in school history
4 - Total number of goals scored in the team's season-opening win in 2026
5 - Saves needed by Natalie Mayes to move past Anne Corbello (144 in 2000) for seventh place in program history
6 – Total of Hat Tricks recorded in Ragin' Cajuns history
6-0-1 - Louisiana's record in its last seven season openers
7 - Number of shutouts in 2024 by Natalie Mayes to set the single-season program record and tie for the SBC lead
7 - Consecutive games without a loss to start last season, setting a program record to start the year and matching the school's overall record
9 - Career goals scored by Miku Kurihara
170 - Number of wins in program history
492 - Total matches played in program history
3,949 - Career minutes in goal for Natalie Mayes, ranking fourth in program history

2025 HIGHLIGHTS
• With the 4-1 win over Lamar, Louisiana had a record-setting performance. The four goals were the second-most in program history in a season opener, and it was the second-largest margin of victory to start the year, behind a 10-0 win over Jackson State in 2003.
• Carson Glenn's penalty kick goal against Lamar was Louisiana's first attempt and make since Karleen Bedre's goal at Arkansas State on Oct. 6, 2022.
• Miku Kurihara's hat trick at Troy on Oct. 24 was the sixth in school history and the first since 2015.
• Kurihara's eight points (3 goals, 2 assists) tied a single-match school record that was last set in 2013.

BUILDING A CONSISTENT FOUNDATION
• Louisiana is coming off three consecutive seven-win campaigns dating back to 2023.
• Louisiana has reached the 7+ win mark in a single season eight times in program history.
• The Cajuns went 7-6-5 record in 2025 last season for their second straight winning season - and third time overall to post back-to-back winning campaigns (2013-14, 2019-20, 2024-25) in program history.
• Louisiana's 22 goals scored during Sun Belt Conference play in 2025 were the most scored by a SBC opponent and it's +14 goal differential was the largest in program history.

UP NEXT
• Louisiana continues its stretch of Southland Conference opponents on Sunday when it returns home to face in-state foe Northwestern State at the Home Bank Soccer and Track Complex.
• First touch is set for 6 p.m.
• The Ragin' Cajuns will remain at home on Thursday (August 27) for a 7 p.m. match against Nicholls before closing out the month of August with a trip to McNeese (8.30).

Louisiana, East Texas A&M Set To Square Off On Soccer Pitch

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Players Mentioned

Carson Glenn

Miku Kurihara

Natalie Mayes

Liberty Plasek

Addison Soehn

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