After its victory against the University of Kentucky in the first round, the LSU soccer team advanced to the Southeastern Conference Tournament quarterfinals for the first time in five years.
The Tigers (12-4-4, 5-4-2 SEC) will face the University of Missouri at noon today in Orange Beach, Alabama, with a semifinals berth on the line.
LSU is the seventh seed in the tournament, and Missouri (9-4-5, 7-2-2 SEC) is the second seed.
LSU trailed 1-0 at halftime against Kentucky in the first round but rallied with two second-half goals. LSU coach Brian Lee said the LSU Tigers must continue to keep their composure when things aren’t going right for the remainder of the tournament.
“There’s so much on the line for the teams here this week, so to regroup at halftime and get back out and take control of the game like we did in the second half is a testament to our mentality and competitiveness as a team at such an important time of the season,” Lee said in a news release.
LSU faces Missouri riding a seven-game hot streak, as the LSU Tigers went 5-1-1 during that stretch. The run was spearheaded by a 2-1 victory against Missouri earlier this season.
LSU was one of two SEC teams to defeat Missouri during the regular season.
“It’s not hard to see that they’re a very good team,” Lee said. “They finished second in the SEC for a reason. They do a lot of things well. We’ll be ready for them, and they’ll get our best shot.”
The Oct. 9 victory at the LSU Soccer Stadium started much-needed momentum for LSU, which failed to win in its previous three games and fell to 12th place in the SEC standings. When they defeated Missouri, the LSU Tigers were without sophomore forward Jorian Baucom, who will suit up and start Wednesday.
Baucom entered the postseason as the second-leading scorer in the SEC and sixth nationally with a career-high 15 goals during the regular season. When she takes the field Wednesday, she is looking for her first career postseason goal.
LSU’s second-leading scorer, junior forward Summer Clarke, will play in her second consecutive game after missing the previous four with an ankle injury. LSU welcomed her back with open arms as its forward duo will be critical in the postseason.
“It took a little bit for [Clarke] and Jorian to get on the same page, but after that, I thought they were dynamite together,” Lee said. “We’re counting on Summer to fill some holes for us, and she’s a huge addition to the team moving forward.”
The winner between LSU and Missouri will face either the third-seeded University of Mississippi or sixth-seeded Texas A&M University on Sunday at 6 p.m. at the same venue.
LSU soccer team faces Missouri in SEC Tournament quarterfinals
November 3, 2015
More to Discover