LSU Alexandria and LSU Shreveport square off in both RRAC soccer semifinals Thursday, guaranteeing Louisiana a place in both championship matches.
By Doug Gann | 446Sports / NAIAmerica
SAN ANTONIO, Texas — There will be plenty of Louisiana flavor in San Antonio Thursday, and by the time the sun sets, two teams from the Bayou State will have punched their tickets to the Red River Athletic Conference soccer championship matches.
The only question is which two.
LSU Alexandria and LSU Shreveport will square off in both the women’s and men’s RRAC Tournament semifinals, setting up a rare postseason doubleheader between two Louisiana universities separated by roughly 125 miles.
The women get things started at 11 a.m., with the men taking the field at 7:30 p.m. Both matches will be played at Jaguars Soccer Field on the campus of Texas A&M–San Antonio.
And while the schools may share the LSU name, there’s not much sharing expected once the matches begin.
Both contests feature teams with legitimate championship aspirations, and both carry some unfinished business from the regular season.
THE WOMEN: LSUA LOOKS TO SETTLE AN OLD SCORE
For the LSU Alexandria women, the road to a conference championship has been a season-long mission.
The Generals earned the tournament’s No. 1 seed after finishing 8-1 in RRAC play and sharing the regular-season championship with Our Lady of the Lake.
They were also perfect at home, winning all nine regular-season matches in Alexandria.
But there’s one result from a year ago that makes Thursday’s matchup particularly interesting.
LSU Shreveport eliminated the Generals from the 2025 RRAC Tournament with a 2-0 semifinal victory.
Fast-forward to October 24 of this year, and Alexandria delivered a little payback, shutting out the Pilots 4-0 in the regular-season finale.
Now the two programs meet again, this time with a spot in the championship match on the line.
LSUA has plenty of offensive firepower, led by RRAC Offensive Player of the Year Sara Escribano, who finished the regular season with 16 goals and six assists.
Escribano was one of nine Generals recognized in the conference’s postseason awards, with Paula Suarez and Ashley Manning joining her on the All-RRAC First Team.
But don’t overlook Shreveport.
The fifth-seeded Pilots earned their semifinal opportunity with a 3-0 quarterfinal victory over Texas A&M–Victoria.
Ashley Moore scored twice in that contest, bringing her season total to 16 goals.
Shreveport averages 3.5 goals per match and has the offensive weapons to make things interesting.
The Generals won the regular-season meeting convincingly.
The Pilots won when it mattered most a year ago.
Thursday will settle the next chapter.
THE MEN: SHREVEPORT HAS ALREADY SHOWN IT CAN BEAT THE GENERALS
The evening matchup brings a different storyline.
LSU Alexandria enters as the No. 2 seed and a share of the RRAC regular-season championship after finishing 7-2 in conference competition.
The Generals also carry a No. 17 national ranking.
But the third-seeded Pilots have something Alexandria doesn’t: a victory in the teams’ most recent meeting.
Shreveport defeated LSUA 2-0 on October 24, scoring twice in the second half to hand the Generals a disappointing regular-season finale.
Now Alexandria gets another shot.
And there are some outstanding individual matchups to watch.
LSUA defender Pablo Novoa Martin was named the RRAC Defensive Player of the Year, anchoring a back line that allowed just 13 goals during the regular season.
Goalkeeper Jayden Peglar has been equally impressive, posting a 0.79 goals-against average.
Offensively, Lucas O’Donnell has established a new LSUA single-season record with 13 goals while adding seven assists.
On the other side, Shreveport brings one of the most dangerous scorers in the conference.
Jacob Botterill has 22 goals and seven assists, giving the Pilots a player capable of changing a match in a hurry.
Shreveport advanced to the semifinals with a 4-2 victory over Louisiana Christian, getting two goals from David Vejsmose.
It’s a matchup of two programs that know each other well, with a conference championship opportunity awaiting the winner.
A BIG DAY FOR LOUISIANA SMALL-COLLEGE SOCCER
There’s something worth appreciating about Thursday’s schedule beyond the scores and standings.
Two Louisiana universities have put four soccer teams into the final four of their respective conference tournaments.
And because they’re facing each other, the state is guaranteed representation in both RRAC championship matches.
That’s a pretty good statement about the quality of NAIA soccer being played in Louisiana.
The Generals and Pilots have built programs capable of competing for conference titles, earning national recognition and developing players who are among the best in the RRAC.
Now comes the part of the season when records, rankings and regular-season accomplishments only get you so far.
You have to win.
For the LSUA women, it’s an opportunity to continue a championship season and put last year’s semifinal disappointment further in the rearview mirror.
For the LSUS women, it’s a chance to prove the regular-season loss in Alexandria doesn’t define this matchup.
For the LSUA men, it’s an opportunity to avenge a defeat that came just 12 days ago.
And for the LSUS men, it’s a chance to show that their October victory was no fluke.
Four teams. Two matches. Two championship berths.
And one certainty.
Louisiana will be playing for two RRAC soccer championships.
The only thing left to determine is who’s going to be wearing the uniforms.
THURSDAY’S RRAC SEMIFINALS
Women’s Soccer — 11 a.m. CT
No. 1 LSU Alexandria vs. No. 5 LSU Shreveport
Men’s Soccer — 7:30 p.m. CT
No. 2 LSU Alexandria vs. No. 3 LSU Shreveport
Both matches at Jaguars Soccer Field, San Antonio, Texas. Seeds reflect RRAC Tournament positions.
Suggested Social Media Headline:
LOUISIANA IS GUARANTEED TWO RRAC SOCCER FINALISTS! ⚽
LSUA and LSUS meet TWICE Thursday in San Antonio — women’s semifinals at 11 a.m. and men’s semifinals at 7:30 p.m.
Two rival schools. Four teams. Two tickets to the championship matches.
Who’s heading to the finals?
Every Town Has a Story. This one belongs to Louisiana.
446Sports / NAIAmerica
