Head coach Brian Lee has announced the opponents for a challenging 2009 slate with 19 regular season matches. Dates and start times for all matches will be announced at a later time.

The Tigers are looking to continue their momentum from the 2008 season in which they finished the regular season ranked No. 14 in the final Soccer America Top 25 of the year, while capturing their second-straight SEC West crown and second-straight berth into the NCAA Tournament.

“We look forward to continued growth in our program this fall, and we are very excited about the opportunity to test ourselves against many of the premier programs in the country,” Lee said. “It’s important that we provide our athletes the best opportunity to perform at the highest level both on and off the field, and we feel like we’ve done that with the schedule we’ve put together.”

LSU’s non-conference schedule features a trip to Durham, N.C., to take on national powers Duke and North Carolina in a pair of matches at Koskinen Stadium. This marks the Tigers first meeting with both the Blue Devils and Tar Heels in program history.

North Carolina boasts one of the most storied traditions in all of collegiate athletics with a total of 19 national championships to its credit since winning its first in 1982.

The Tar Heels enter the 2009 season as the reigning NCAA champion after defeating Notre Dame in the national championship game in Cary, N.C., this past December. North Carolina finished the 2009 season with an eye-popping 25-1-2 overall record en route to its 19th NCAA crown.

The Blue Devils also featured one of the nation’s top clubs once again in 2008 after advancing all the way to the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament for the second-straight season. Duke finished the season with an impressive 15-6-3 mark while earning its 15th NCAA Tournament berth a year ago. The Blue Devils boast one trip to the NCAA College Cup in their illustrious history.

LSU will also prepare itself for a challenging SEC state against such teams as Texas (exhibition), Memphis, Oklahoma and Southern Mississippi at home, as well as Central Florida, South Florida and Louisiana-Lafayette on the road as part of its difficult non-conference schedule.

Of that group, Texas, Memphis and Central Florida each earned an NCAA Tournament berth last season with Texas and Central Florida advancing to the NCAA Second Round.

“We couldn’t be more pleased with the teams we’ll go up against in the non-conference this fall,” Lee said. “This is without a doubt the most challenging non-conference schedule ever assembled in the history of the LSU soccer program. There is not a better way to prepare ourselves for SEC play than to battle such programs as North Carolina, Duke and Texas. It’s sure to be exciting.”

After wrapping up its non-conference slate against North Carolina and Duke, the Tigers will open their SEC schedule at home against Georgia and Tennessee. They will also play host to SEC foes Mississippi State, Ole Miss and South Carolina as part of their home schedule in 2009.

LSU will play six matches on the road in SEC play this fall as it will travel to take on the likes of Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, Florida, Kentucky and Vanderbilt.

The Tigers were one of six SEC teams to compete in the 64-team NCAA Tournament a year ago, joining Auburn, Florida, Georgia, Tennessee and South Carolina in the field. Florida was the only team to advance to the Sweet 16, while Auburn also advanced to the NCAA Second Round.