Goals have been hard to come by for the LSU soccer team lately. 
After exploding with eight goals in their first two games of the season, the Tigers have been blanked in three of the past four matches, including Monday’s double-overtime scoreless draw against Stephen F. Austin. 
LSU (3-2-1) has scored only three goals during the past four games, and the Tigers will have to rediscover their early-season offensive form if they hope to rebound during the squad’s longest road swing of the season. 
After playing five of its first six matches at home, LSU will begin a four-game road stretch when it travels to Provo, Utah, for a match against BYU (1-2-2) at 7 p.m. tonight at South Field. 
The Tigers’ lone road contest thus far was a 2-0 loss to Texas Christian University last Friday. After tonight’s contest against the Cougars, LSU will travel across the nation for matches at Duke, Marquette and Missouri before returning to the LSU Soccer Stadium on Sept. 26 for a match with Texas A&M. 
With such a short preseason, LSU soccer coach Brian Lee said the Tigers’ upcoming road swing could be what the young squad needs to get everyone in sync and on the same page. 
“We have a really young team to start with, so getting to spend time together on the road helps everyone get to know each other a little better,” Lee said. “But it’s not just the players to the players, it also helps the players become familiar with the staff.”
Being more familiar with one another could help the Tigers end a dry spell stretching back to the fourth game of the season. 
The last time LSU scored was when freshman striker Jorian Baucom found the net on a breakaway in the 28th minute against Nicholls State on Sept. 2, a stretch spanning 262 minutes of game action. 
For Lee, the Tigers’ problem hasn’t been finding scoring chances but rather capitalizing on the opportunities they create. 
“In terms of what we’re playing like, we’re pretty happy with how we’ve progressed,” Lee said. “We just have to get better at a few things in the final third and in front of goal and good things will happen.”
The Tigers have had their fair share of chances to end the team’s offensive struggles despite failing to connect. LSU fired a season-high 26 shots against the Ladyjacks on Monday, but only 10 of those were on target. 
Sophomore forward Summer Clarke, who has a team-high 13 career goals, said the Tigers must remain poised when a scoring opportunity presents itself to get points on the board. 
“We’re getting the chances and getting the ball around goal, but it’s the final kick into the net that we’re lacking,” Clarke said. “We’re getting the ball moving and getting good shots off. It’s just our consistency in the final third. We have to work on being calm and composed in the box for the shots to go in.” 
Five Tigers attempted at least three shots in Monday’s contest, but only junior midfielder Natalia Gomez-Junco and freshman defender Jordane Carvery had multiple shots on goal against Ladyjacks goalkeeper Morgan Glick. 
But Gomez-Junco said the Tigers will eventually find the net if they can maintain their aggression in the attack. 
“When you’re pressuring and going at your opponent, the shots ultimately come as a result of that,” Gomez-Junco said. “Unfortunately, we didn’t score [against Stephen F. Austin], but it was a huge difference than against TCU. We just have to play at this intensity and toughness for the next four games.”