The LSU soccer team concluded its four-game road swing with two matches that both began and ended in similar fashions.
The Tigers played Southeastern Conference opponent Missouri to a scoreless draw in the first half before giving up three second-half goals to start SEC play with a 3-1 loss on Friday.
The results didn’t improve much for LSU against defending Big East champion Marquette on Sunday.
The Tigers (4-5-1, 0-1 SEC) gave up two second-half goals and concluded their four-game road swing on Sunday with a 2-1 loss to the Golden Eagles (4-5-1) at Valley Fields in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
The Tigers’ loss to Marquette also concluded LSU’s non-conference schedule and extended its current losing streak to three games, during which the club has been outscored six to two.
But LSU soccer coach Brian Lee was impressed with his young club’s overall handling of a tough road stretch that spanned more than 8,000 miles over two consecutive weekends.
“The road trip—we knew going in it — was four very good teams with outstanding home records,” Lee said. “I thought today, we were really excellent. We created really good chances, but in soccer, sometimes you finish them and sometimes you don’t.”
As on Friday, the Tigers’ young back line held firm in the first half against the attack and limited the Golden Eagles to only six shots.
But while LSU’s defenders kept Marquette from finding the net early, the Tigers continued to struggle with capitalizing on scoring opportunities, recording only three shots that were all saved by junior goalkeeper Amanda Engel in the first half.
“Marquette’s a well-coached and high-character team that isn’t going to let you have anything easy,” Lee said. “They do a really good job of throwing their bodies in front of shots and sacrificing their bodies to defend, so a lot of credit to them.”
The Golden Eagles found their offensive form in the second half and constantly pressured LSU’s back line after the break, firing off 10 shots with five on frame.
Marquette junior forward Shalese Miller broke the stalemate with a header in the 62nd minute of action to give her club a 1-0 lead, and it didn’t take long for the Golden Eagles to add on.
Two minutes later, freshman midfielder Eli Beard put a shot past LSU freshman goalkeeper Lily Alfeld to extend Marquette’s lead to 2-0 with less than 30 minutes remaining in the contest.
However, the Tigers cured some of their offensive woes and responded nearly 10 minutes after Beard’s goal. In the 73rd minute, LSU sophomore striker Summer Clarke found the net for her fifth goal this season off a free kick from junior midfielder Natalia Gomez-Junco.
But Beard’s goal proved to be the game-winner for the Golden Eagles, as LSU failed to score again.
Despite ending the four-game road stretch with three consecutive losses, Lee said the Tigers’ tough road stretch has prepared them for the upcoming SEC schedule, which kicks into full gear on Friday.
“We can schedule ourselves for whatever record we want, but we chose a difficult path for the betterment of the long term,” Lee said. “For a young team, it’s now all about keeping perspective as we regroup. The young kids have figured out that the games are harder, and now we have to channel ourselves the right way for good practices and a match on Friday.”
After two weeks and four consecutive matches on the road, the Tigers will return to the LSU Soccer Stadium at 7 p.m. on Friday with a contest against SEC West opponent Texas A&M.