The youthful LSU soccer team didn’t allow its lack of experience to be a detriment in a tight contest at BYU on Thursday. Instead, the young Tigers displayed the poise and composure of a veteran club, responding to every challenge the Cougars presented.
LSU (4-2-1) scored a pair of goals in each half against BYU (1-3-2) to secure a 4-3 victory in a wild back-and-forth match at South Field, ending the Tigers’ recent two-game winless streak.
LSU defender Megan Lee, whose goal late in the first half gave the Tigers a 2-1 advantage at the break, said the victory was what her and her young teammates needed to start their toughest road stretch of the season.
“[This win] feels pretty exhilarating, to be honest,” Lee said. “We’ve struggled the last couple of games, and I think our team really needed this win to boost us and push us in the right direction.”
Before Thursday’s contest, it appeared LSU was trending in the wrong direction. The Tigers scored only three goals in the four games prior to their match against the Cougars, including consecutive shutouts against Stephen F. Austin and Texas Christian University.
But LSU soccer Brian Lee didn’t want his squad to be concerned with its recent struggles in the attack. He wanted the Tigers’ attention centered on their opponent.
“We really were just focused on the challenge that BYU is because we know its one of the toughest places to play in college soccer,” Brian Lee said. “We knew we’d have to be really focused and put in a great effort to won, which the girls did. This will be a good win come the end of the year.”
However, it didn’t look as if LSU was ready at the start.
BYU dominated possession through the first 20 minutes of the first half, and it looked as if the Tigers’ recent offensive struggles had accompanied them for the cross-country trip to Provo, Utah.
But LSU sophomore striker Summer Clarke ended the Tigers’ scoring woes when she intercepted an errant pass and connected from within the box in the 23rd minute of the first half to give her squad an early 1-0 lead.
Clarke’s goal, her fourth of the season, snapped a 285-minute scoreless streak for LSU.
“[Clarke’s] goal was huge,” Brian Lee said. “She’s such a good two-way player. We turned them over in midfield, and Summer pounced on the loose ball and took it very well. It was good to get off to that start.”
It didn’t take the Cougars long to retaliate, however. Less than one minute later, BYU junior midfielder Marissa Nimmer answered with a goal of her own that tied the game at 1-1.
But Megan Lee’s 35-yard shot from just outside the left of the box quickly gave the Tigers a 2-1 advantage, which they’d take to the break.
“That’s actually a shot I practice a lot,” Megan Lee said. “It was pretty much the same as when I practice it by myself. I just picked up the ball from around midfield and dribbled it down. The defender was going a bit faster than me, so I just cut behind, took the shot and it went off.”
Neither team scored for nearly the first 20 minutes of the second half, but BYU senior forward Niki Fernandes ended the dry spell and tied the game at 2-2 when she snuck the ball past LSU freshman goalkeeper Lily Alfeld.
But once again, the feisty Tigers responded. Freshman striker Jorian Baucom scored her fourth goal of the season on a penalty kick in the 64th minute against the Cougars to give LSU a 3-2 advantage. Sophomore midfielder Emma Fletcher scored the Tigers’ final goal of the night 15 minutes later.
“Each time a goal was scored, our kids responded really well, and they kept fighting,” Brian Lee said. “To come out here and play this type of opponent with this many [young players] on the team, hopefully this is the springboard type of win that’ll carry them the whole season. Now the big test is how do you react after a big win.”
The Tigers will continue their four-game road stretch when they travel to Durham, N.C., for a match against Duke at noon on Sunday at Koskinen Stadium.