EUNICE, La. – After years of a blossoming rivalry between LSU Eunice and Jones College on the diamond, the two schools meet for a championship on the soccer pitch.  The Bengals make the drive to Ellisville, Miss. this weekend to face the Bobcats for the Region 23 Women's Soccer Championship game this Saturday at 6:00PM.
 
The game will be streamed lived on JCJC.TV and Jones College's Facebook page.
 
"The girls have a good sense of urgency this week that this could be the final game of the year and they don't want this fun ride to end," LSUE head coach Ian McGimsey said.  "We've done a good job this year keeping the opponents score down and that can keep us in any game."
 
The Bengals (7-1-1) will try to bounce back after suffering their first loss of the season to Angelina College on October 14.  LSUE had a seven match win streak heading into that contest.  LSU Eunice is led by Katelyn Knowles (Lufkin, TX, Lufkin HS) and her six goals on the season.  The balanced offensive attack has seen 13 different goal scorers on the season.
 
Jolie Cary (Lafayette, LA, Acadiana HS) is expected to start in goal for the Bengals after posting a 6-1 record to go along with a 0.50 goals against average.
 
LSUE went 3-0 against Region 23 competition this season, outscoring those opponents 10-1.
 
Jones College (12-2) enters the Region 23 Championship fresh off the school's third consecutive MACJC title.  The Bobcats defeated Mississippi Gulf Coast 6-1 last week at home in the championship game. 
 
"They are the three-time defending Mississippi champs for a reason," McGimsey said.  "They have some special players up top that can change the game at a flip of the coin."
 
A balanced offense paces the Bobcats with four different players tallying 13 goals led by sophomore Mikayla Banks' 18 goals on the season.  Alexis Wilson figures to start in net after posting a 10-2 record in 2018 including 0.73 goals against average.  The 16th ranked Bobcats have posted nine shutouts this fall.
 
The winner of Region 23 will travel to the Region 14 champion next week for the NJCAA South District title and a berth in the NJCAA National Tournament in Foley, Ala. that is scheduled for November 12-17.
 
Fans can find more LSUE news and information on social media via Twitter (@LSUEBengalsWSOC), Facebook and Instagram (@LSUEBengals) or by logging onto www.lsuebengals.net.