In a grueling battle to the finish, LSU defeated Missouri 2-1 in a thrilling comeback at LSU Soccer Stadium.
“We’re thrilled to get a win out of that game,” LSU Head Coach Sian Hudson said. “Missouri came here with a very good gameplay by packing five in midfield and eliminating our central options and it showed in our first half. We made some changes at halftime and came out and were able to shift the game in the second half. We’re proud of the team for coming from behind to get the win. There’s no easy wins in the SEC and tonight was a huge test for our team.”
The first half was not a very good half for LSU as they were sloppy when it had possession of the ball. The Tigers turned ball the ball over and gave Missouri some good chances to counterattack. LSU also failed to score multiple times in final third.
The Tigers best chance to score was when midfielder Ida Hermannsdottir and forward Mollie Baker linked up on a breakaway counterattack. Baker took the ball into the box and squared a brilliant back pass to Hermannsdottir, but Hermannsdottir was unable to get a powerful shot off and her effort was saved by Missouri’s goalkeeper Bella Hollenbach.
Missouri would then capitalize off of LSU’s mistakes as they took the lead in the 35th minute. Missouri took a free kick and sent a cross into the box. The ball eventually fell on the right side and was found by Jenna Bartels, who sent a pass into the middle of the box to Kylie Dobbs. Dobbs took her chance and scored the first goal of the game from eight yards out to make it 1-0 going into the half.
However, LSU came into the second half roaring with confidence. It started off with forward Alesia Garcia receiving a ball inside the box and had an excellent chance for a goal, but the shot went just over the crossbar.
LSU was then rewarded for its ferocity when it finally scored its first goal of the game in the 75th minute to put the game in a deadlock. Forward Angelina Thoreson passed the ball to Taylor Dobles, who then hit a beautiful cross into the box and found forward Raelyn Prince. Prince had perfect timing on her break for the ball and sent a powerful shot on frame that deflected off a Missouri defender and into the back of the net.
Prince’s second goal of the season tied the game 1-1. Dobles had her first assist of the season while Thoreson collected her team-high fifth of the year.
LSU’s offense was like a wildfire whose blaze just kept getting stronger and stronger by the minute. Defender Shannon Cooke nearly tied the game in the 78th minute as her header from a corner kick went just right of the post.
Moreover, Baker almost found the back of the net in the 85th minute as her shot from 12 yards out was pushed onto the bar by Hollenbach in what was an incredible save that made LSU settle for a corner kick.
Seconds later, the Tigers would capitalize on that corner kick. The ball landed on the right side of the box and Baker took possession of it. She then lofted a cross to the back post and found defender Lindsi Jennings, who headed the ball past the goalkeeper and into the back of the net as the crowd of 2,001 people at LSU Soccer Stadium roared in jubilation.
The goal gave LSU a 2-1 lead in the final minutes of play and ultimately the win. Jennings had her second goal of the season, giving her first multi-goal season of her career. It was also Baker’s second assist of the year.
“Mizzou came out and fought really hard,” Jennings said. “They gave us some trouble getting behind them. We did what we do best. We kept fighting and we found the back of the net and never gave up.”
LSU will hit the road for its next game, taking on Mississippi State in Starkville at 6:30 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 25.