Coach Sian Hudson talked about her side’s matchup in the NCAA Tournament against Lamar on Thursday afternoon.
This is the Tigers’ second trip to the NCAA Tournament with Hudson at the helm. Last year’s tournament saw the Tigers exit the opening round in a 3-0 loss to Memphis. This year, Hudson was adamant that the team is prepared.
“The girls are ready,” Hudson said. “They have been working hard all season for this opportunity, we will be ready come Friday night to put on a show.”
A big worry for the team is the lack of goals in their last six games. In five out of six of those, they have been shutout. Getting Ida Hermannsdottir back from a minor injury should give a boost to the attack even if she is not 100%.
“We haven’t scored many goals in recent weeks outside of the 4-1 win over Ole Miss on senior night,” Hudson said. “We’ve struggled to generate offense in the last few weeks.”
It seems as though LSU will try to exploit the width for this game. Angelina Thoreson and Taylor Dobles will likely see a lot of action tomorrow. LSU will likely look to try to stretch the Cardinals defense and open space inside.
Lamar brings to the table a 15-1-2 record. Its record, however, comes without having played a Power Five opponent. The team does however boast a strong defense and potent attack. They have scored 39 goals this season with Cariel Elliot and Christine Kitaru leading the lines with 22 goals between them. Goalkeeper Nicole Panis has collected 10 clean sheets this season.
The Cardinals certainly will not be a pushover for the Tigers. Although, LSU is unbeaten in its history against Lamar. They are 3-0 against the Cardinals.
LSU will be without Maya Gordon and Rammie Noel due to suspension. Their absence in the backline could throw a curveball in terms of formations. Hudson has favored the 4-3-3 at times this season, but due to the absence of key defenders, we could see the 3-5-2 come into play.
The match is being played at home for LSU Friday night at 5 p.m. Hudson has made an effort to generate some hype around the gam this week by sending her players around campus to get students to come. All eyes in the Baton Rouge soccer community will be at LSU Soccer stadium Friday night.
