ALEXANDRIA/PINEVILLE, La. – With Central Louisiana's two four-year institutions now sharing a conference, when Louisiana College and LSU Alexandria meet on the soccer pitch every year in Red River Athletic Conference action, they will also battle for the Crossroads Collegiate Cup.

The introduction of the Crossroads Collegiate Cup will be awarded to the winner of each the men's and women's soccer matches between the Wildcats and Generals when they meet in the regular season each year in RRAC play. The Cup is meant to symbolize the new rivalry now that the two sides play in the same conference and hopes to galvanize the two fan bases to build this budding rivalry between the two schools that are separated by just 11.5 miles and a simple drive across the Red River while also giving the two teams an extra incentive to perform on the pitch.

A Cup will be awarded to the winner of each the men's and women's contest. Should the match end in a draw following 110 minutes of play, the match result itself will end be recorded as a draw for conference standings purposes, but the winner of the Cup will be determined by a penalty shootout.

The first battle for the Crossroads Collegiate Cups will be this Friday night when Louisiana College hosts LSU Alexandria in the first meeting between the two schools as conference foes in any sport. Kickoff of the women's match is set for 5:00 P.M. while the men's match will follow immediately afterwards.

The Crossroads Collegiate Cup is just one piece of a larger competition being developed between LC and LSUA that encompasses all sports in which the two schools will compete head-to-head annually in the RRAC. More details on the year-long competition will be announced later.