Set pieces are one of the toughest plays to defend in women’s collegiate soccer, and the LSU soccer team is taking steps to improve its defense against them.
The easiest way to defend a set piece is to avoid situations where the opponent can easily earn one. The Tigers (7-3-3, 1-3-1 Southeastern Conference) gave 35 set pieces in their last two games.
“We aren’t doing a bad job of defending set pieces, we’re just giving up way too many of them,” said senior defender Alex Arlitt.
Even though LSU conceded 21 set pieces in its last game against Vanderbilt University, it defended all of them, not allowing the Commodores to get a single shot attempt on any of the set pieces they earned throughout the 110 minute game.
Arlitt said she saw a tremendous improvement in the team’s defense of set pieces in the Vanderbilt game.
“I thought overall we did
pretty well,” Arlitt said. “We worked a lot in practice on our clearances because we felt like that was one of our shortfalls. A lot of our clearances were going low and to the middle. I felt like we’ve improved a lot in that aspect of getting our clearances high and wide.”
The direction where a set piece is cleared is key to keeping the ball out of the net. The problem with clearing a set piece low and to the middle of the field is that it gives the opponent a second chance before the defense can collect itself.
Junior defender Megan Lee said the team is working on clearing set piece attempts in the right spots.
“Hitting it high gives us more time to step up and readjust and get the second ball versus hitting it low where it can go directly to someone,” Lee said. “If that someone is on the other team, it’s bad news for us.”
LSU’s most crushing loss of the season came against Auburn University on Sept. 25. The LSU Tigers conceded a golden goal in the 102nd minute of play
after they defended a free kick but failed to clear it into the right spot, allowing Auburn to head the ball to win the game in double overtime.
One reason why the Tigers have struggled against set pieces is because of the loss of
sophomore center back Alexis Urch. Urch was the main hitter on set pieces and her loss was felt on the LSU backline.
Lee said the team is still trying to find a player to match her contributions on set pieces.
“She was our main hitter, so when we lost her it was a really big loss to the team, especially the back line,” Lee said. “We haven’t had someone directly step into her role.”
LSU hopes to keep up its improved defense against set
pieces as it wraps up SEC play.