The story of the LSU soccer team’s 2014 season has been missed opportunities.
The Tigers (5-11-2, 1-7-1 Southeastern Conference) did not change the narrative on Friday night against Kentucky, dropping its fifth straight conference match 2-0 to the Wildcats (11-5-0, 6-3-0 SEC).
“The girls have been emotional after the last four or five games,” said LSU coach Brian Lee. “Most of them are trying their very hardest and they’re just not getting the results they want.”
In the first half, LSU played solid defense led by junior keeper Catalina Rubiano, who tallied four saves in the half.
Kentucky’s senior midfielder/forward Stuart Pope broke the deadlock in the 27th minute, when she scored from the top of the box off an assist from junior forward Kelli Hubly.
Although the Wildcats did not add another goal in the first half, LSU’s defense struggled allowing 10 shots in the first half.
In conference play, the Tigers have struggled to limit shots. LSU is 13th in the SEC in shots allowed per game with 18.44 shots in its nine conference matches.
Lee switched freshman defender Jordane Carvery to center midfielder to create space for freshman midfielder Christyna Pitre to play at center back to start to help with another defensive issue—set pieces.
“Pitre is really vital on our set pieces,” Lee said. “In the last six games, we have given up five goals off of opponent corners, and they’d come when she wasn’t in but she was getting fatigued playing in center midfield…We haven’t given up a corner goal when she is in.”
The Tigers looked confident against Kentucky on set pieces. They cleared corners confidently and transitioned forward into the attack.
LSU’s most promising chance of the night came in the 33nd minute when sophomore forward Summer Clarke blasted a shot from distance that hit the crossbar.
The Wildcats took control early in the second half with a goal in the 51st minute.
Kentucky’s sophomore forward Zoe Swift started the attack down the right wing, and broke away from the defensive line. Right when it looked like Swift would score by cutting around Rubiano, freshman defender Alexis Urch recovered and blocked her shot.
However, the defensive effort fell to naught when sophomore forward Jade Klump slammed home the rebound to extend the Wildcat’s lead to two goals.
The Tigers were not able to develop any offensive rhythm after Klump’s goal.
LSU’s offense struggled to put shots on frame, managing only three shots-on-goal out of its nine shots of the match. The Tigers are ranked last in the conference in shots-on-goal percentage with 31 shots-on-goal out of 87 shots.
While LSU looks to rebound on Sunday at 1 p.m. in the LSU Soccer Stadium against No. 8 Florida, the Gators come into the matchup after a 3-2 victory against Tennessee on Friday night.
The Tigers will face a difficult challenge against the Gators—shutting down sophomore forward Savannah Jordan, who leads Florida and the SEC in goals scored with 13 in 2014.