Despite being in contention until 90th minute, the LSU soccer team dropped its Southeastern Conference opener 3-1 against Missouri (6-1-2, 1-0 SEC).
The Tigers (4-4-1, 0-1) came out a step slow in the first half and seemed to be overwhelmed by physical nature of the game.
“I think it was an awakening experience for our young players and a reminder for our older players of the physicality…in our league,” said LSU coach Brian Lee.
Offensively, LSU managed only one shot during the first half. In the 27th minute, junior midfielder Natalia Gomez-Junco fired a shot from distance that was saved by Missouri’s senior keeper Mckenzie Sauerwein.
The Tigers struggled to coordinate their attack. LSU drew four offside calls in the first half alone, which stalled the offense.
“Missouri played a higher line than we’ve seen from them on tape,” Lee said. “In those situations, we’d like to be offsides once or twice. It means we’re threatening the line, but we’ve got to play a little closer attention to not be offsides as many times.”
The Tigers’ young defensive line held up against Missouri’s attack, which dialed up nine shots in the first half. LSU’s freshman goalie Lily Alfeld made three saves to keep the game scoreless.
During halftime, Lee stressed to the team the importance of getting into the rhythm of the game and keeping the adjustments simple.
In the opening minutes of the second half, the Tigers seemed to be responding well to Lee’s half time adjustments.
“I thought we had really snapped out of it and that we were ready to go,” Lee said. “We had some good chances and Missouri caught us on the break and we just got out [muscled] on the field.”
Missouri’s junior midfielder Reagan Russell broke the deadlock in the 50th minute. Russell finished off a cross along the six-yard box by freshman midfielder Kaitlyn Clark.
Only three minutes later, LSU freshman forward Jorian Baucom’s constant pressure on Sauerwein, who played high in the box the entire night, came through to produce an equalizer.
After chesting a back pass from the midfield, Missouri’s center back junior Candace Johnson shielded Sauerwein from the ball, which allowed Baucom a shot at a wide open net. Baucom slammed the ball into the net, recording her team-leading fifth goal of the season.
Clark responded for Missouri with a goal in the 60th minute. After receiving a cross on the left side, Clark cut across the box before firing a shot toward the far post, which sailed over Alfeld’s gloves and into the net.
The Tigers had an opportunity to tie it up once more in the last minute of play. Sophomore forward Summer Clarke ran down a through ball behind the Missouri defense and cut around a diving Sauerwein to set up a cross to Baucom, who was making a run toward the back post. Baucom’s header sailed just over the crossbar.
Missouri’s Russell added her second goal of the night with ten seconds left, making a contentious game on the field seem less so on the scorecard.
Despite the loss, the Tigers gained more leadership on the field with the return of LSU’s lone senior—midfielder Alex Arlitt. Arlitt has missed the last six games with an ankle injury.
With a young team that has struggled with consistency, her return should help the Tigers prepare for their matchup against Marquette on Sunday.
Arlitt’s return will aid the Tigers in improving communication on the field, which has been difficult to establish in a young team.
“To be honest, it’s just an area we need to improve on with a young team,” Lee said. “We don’t talk productively on the field, to each other, at the right times and with the right words. As a team, we have to be a little better about giving information and receiving information. Be a little more polished and mature about how we handle ourselves.”