LSU Soccer fell 3-2 to Mississippi State on the road Sunday night. The loss ends the Tigers’ unbeaten run in SEC play.
LSU opened play in the 4-3-3 formation. This formation was set up to score goals, but it was the Bulldogs who opened the scoring early.
Gwen Mummert scored the opening goal off a corner kick for the Bulldogs in the fourth minute. She rose the highest at the back post off the corner and headed it home.
Not even 20 seconds after the restart, Alesia Garcia leveled the match. Rammie Noel worked the ball down the left-hand side with some beautiful pace and speed. She then found time to send a cross to the back post where Garcia was ready to head the ball home.
Two minutes later, the Bulldogs climbed back in front. Maggie Wadsworth headed home another goal after another well-placed corner kick. She rose the high over the Tiger defenders to restore the lead for Mississippi State.
An early and frantic start left the Tigers chasing the game. Their chasing led to end-to-end play from both sides. Both goalkeepers made some great saves.
Nearing the end of the half, Tilly Wilkes drew the game back level in the 41st minute. A long shot from Raelyn Prince was parried by Maddy Anderson which fell right to the feet of Wilkes. She fired it into the corner and going into halftime the game was level 2-2.
Mississippi State had only conceded two goals all season coming into this game. In one half, that total was doubled. LSU on the other hand continued to struggle with defending set pieces.
The second half produced more end-to-end play. Both teams found chances, yet failed to deliver, hitting the post multiple times. Lindsi Jennings produced a stellar slide tackle to deny Wadsworth from breaking the deadlock.
In the 82nd minute, Wasila Diwura-Soale was deemed to have pushed down a Mississippi State attacker which drew a penalty for the Bulldogs. Haley McWhirter stepped up and buried the penalty. The score would not move anymore, and the game ended 3-2.
“Obviously just a disappointing end to the game there in terms of the late penalty kick that we gave away,” said LSU Head Coach Sian Hudson. “All credit to Mississippi State. They made it difficult from start to finish. I don’t think that you can come on the road and concede three goals and set pieces and expect to win in the SEC, so that’s something that we’re going to have to get back on the training ground and take a look at. I am proud of the players for the responses to both of their goals and to peg them back before halftime.”
The Tigers once again found themselves struggling to defend set pieces. This has been a major issue all season that they have been trying to address. It seems like this might just be the Achilles heel for the defense.
That being said, there are still some positives to take from tonight’s game: LSU can score goals. If they can continue to work with the defense, then the Tigers could really turn some heads going into the SEC tournament.
LSU returns home to take on Kentucky on Sunday, Oct. 1. This is another big game in the SEC as beating Kentucky can provide a boost off a loss for the Tigers. Kentucky currently has no conference wins.
