LAFAYETTE – The Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns soccer team makes its first-ever trip to the upper Midwest beginning Friday when it opens a two-match roadtrip against Northern Illinois at the NIU Soccer and Track Complex.
 
Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. Live results and live video will be available at RaginCajuns.com.
 
Louisiana (0-2-0) faces NIU (0-1-0) for the second time in school history with the Ragin' Cajuns earning a 2-1 victory in the previous meeting on Sept. 13, 2015 at the Baylor University Tournament in Waco, Texas.
 
The Ragin' Cajuns opened the season last week at the Lamar Cardinal Classic in Beaumont, Texas, dropping matches against UTSA and Lamar. Freshman Karleen Bedre scored the Ragin' Cajuns lone goal of the weekend while Mackenzie Lee recorded nine saves in two matches.
 
NIU, which is opening its home schedule, dropped a 3-1 decision at Milwaukee in its 2019 season opener.
 
Louisiana will wrap up its season-opening, four-match roadtrip on Sunday with a 1 p.m., contest against Chicago State. The Ragin' Cajuns will open their six-match home schedule on Sept. 5 against visiting Southern University at the Ragin' Cajuns Soccer/Track Complex.
 
MATCH INFORMATION
LOUISIANA (0-2-0) at NORTHERN ILLINOIS (0-1-0)
Date/Time: August 30, 2019 / 7 p.m.    
Site: DeKalb, Ill.
Facility (Surface): NIU Soccer & Track Complex (Artificial)
 
LIVE STATS/SOCIAL MEDIA
Live Stats: RaginCajuns.com
Live Video: NIU All-Access
Social Updates: @RaginCajunsSOC | #GeauxCajuns
 
WEATHER FORECAST (via Weather.com)
Friday: Partly cloudy | High: 75° | Winds: N 8 mph | Rain: 10%.
At kickoff: Clear | 68° | Rain: 0% | Wind: NNE 5 mph
 
SERIES HISTORY
Overall: Louisiana leads, 1-0-0
In Lafayette: Never met
In DeKalb: Never met
Neutral sites: Louisiana leads, 1-0-0
Last Meeting: Louisiana, 2-1 (9/13/2015 at Waco, Texas)
 
THE COACHES
LOUISIANA
Head Coach: Lance Key (Trinity, 2000)
Record at Louisiana: 0-2-0 (first season), Career Record: 210-23-16 (13th season)
 
NORTHERN ILLINOIS
Head Coach: Julie Colhoff (Loyola, 2010)
Record at NIU: 2-18-0 (second season), Career Record: Same
 
JUST FOR KICKS ...
• Louisiana, playing its 20th season of intercollegiate soccer, takes its first-ever trip to the upper Midwest this week as it visits Mid-American Conference member Northern Illinois (Aug. 30) and Chicago State (Sept. 1).
• The trip to Illinois wraps up a season-opening, four-match road trip for the Ragin' Cajuns.
• The Ragin' Cajuns opened the season on the road for the fourth straight year and opened in a tournament for the first time since the 2004 FAU/DoubleTree Kickoff Classic in Boca Raton, Fla.
 
THROW-INS ...
• The first four matches for Louisiana away from home to start the 2019 campaign marks the first time the Ragin' Cajuns open with four or more straight matches on the road since 2004.
• Gwen Mummert and Mackenzie Lee are the only two players to play in all 180 minutes during the first two matches of the 2019 season.
• Freshman Karleen Bedre is tied for sixth in the Sun Belt Conference in goals scored (1), tied eighth in goals per game (0.50) and tied for 10th in points (2).
• Madysin Girouard is tied for fourth among Sun Belt Conference players in assists (1).
• Goalkeeper Mackenzie Lee is second in the Sun Belt in total saves (9) and third in saves per game (4.5).
• Lee, Una Einarsdottir and Julianne DeBlieux were named team captains for the 2019 season.
• Lee's six saves against UTSA on Aug. 22 were tied for the most by a Sun Belt goalkeeper in a match during the opening week of the season.
• Bedre, Einarsdottir and freshman Rachel Sutter took a team-high shot attempts in Sunday's match at Lamar. 
 
THE KEY TO WINNING
• In 12 seasons as head coach at Trinity University (Texas), Lance Key won 88.3 percent of his matches, compiling a 210-21-16  in the process.
• His .883 winning percentage is third-best all-time among NCAA Division I, II or III head coaches and ranking behind Scott Frey (Messiah) and Anson Dorrance (North Carolina).
 
Name (School) - Pct. (Record)
Scott Frey (Messiah) - .920 (399-23-26)
Anson Dorrance (North Carolina) - .902 (847-74-40)
Lance Key (Louisiana) - .883 (210-21-16)
Marcus Wood (Hardin-Simmons) - .877 (348-37-28)
Joe Russo (TCNJ) - .863 (518-64-43)
 
SCOUTING NORTHERN ILLINOIS
• NIU opened its season on Sunday with a 3-1 loss at Milwaukee. The Huskies lone goal of the match came on a penalty kick by Trudy Quidzinski.
• The Huskies allowed all three goals in the first half and recorded four of their five shots in the second half, as they were outshot by the Panthers, 20-5.
• NIU was picked to finish 12th overall in the Mid-American Conference after finishing with a 2-17 record in 2018.
 
LOUISIANA vs. THE MAC
• Louisiana's match against NIU is just the second between the schools and Mid-American Conference.
• Louisiana earned a 2-1 win over NIU on Sept. 13, 2015 at the Baylor University Tournament in Waco, Texas behind two first-half goals from Annika Schmidt.
 
CAJUNS TO BE SEEN ON CST/ESPN+
• Three of Louisiana's six home matches during the 2019 season will be available to nearly five millions homes with live coverage on New Orleans-based Cox Sports Television (CST).
• Matches against South Alabama (Sept. 22), Georgia Southern (Oct. 25, tape-delayed) and Troy (Oct. 27) will be televised and will be also available on ESPN+.
• Louisiana's other home matches - Southern (Sept. 5), Appalachian State (Oct. 4) and Coastal Carolina (Oct. 6) will be streamed live on the Ragin' Cajuns Digital Network.
 
FOLLOW THE RAGIN' CAJUNS
Follow the Ragin' Cajuns on Facebook (Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns Soccer), Twitter and Instagram (@RaginCajunsSOC), or check RaginCajuns.com for Louisiana soccer updates.