The LSU soccer team picked up its first Southeastern Conference road win of the season, defeating the University of Arkansas, 1-0, on Thursday night.
The Tigers (9-4-3, 3-4-1 SEC) entered the game tasked with earning a crucial three points to improve their conference ranking without junior forward Summer Clarke, who suffered an ankle injury against No. 12 University of Florida.
The Razorbacks (5-9-1, 1-6-1 SEC) entered Thursday’s contest looking to snap a two-game losing streak. Arkansas was also without one of its top players, senior forward Ashleigh Ellenwood, who led the team in goals before tearing her ACL against the University of Missouri-Kansas City on Sept. 13th.
Defending set pieces is one of the things LSU has focused on since conceding three set piece goals against Auburn University on Sept. 25th. This time around, it was the Tigers who earned chances off set pieces.
Sophomore forward Jorian Baucom made her presence felt as soon as the referee’s opening whistle blew, heading Natalia Gomez-Junco’s free kick on target before freshman goalkeeper Jordan Harris made a diving save to keep the ball out of the net.
Baucom’s offensive aggression was rewarded in the 17th minute after she rallied to a loose ball and bodied her way into the penalty box, fending off two Razorback defenders before firing her 12th goal of the season just below the crossbar.
LSU coach Brian Lee said the Tigers spent time on scoring goals in a less-traditional manner to make the team more dynamic on the offensive end.
“It was great to see [Baucom] pounce on a loose ball,” Lee said. “One of the things we’ve worked on in practice is getting to loose balls in the box and scoring goals that don’t come from diving headers, crossers and combination plays.”
One goal was all the Tigers needed to secure victory, holding Arkansas to six shots  with only two of the them calling for a save from senior goalkeeper Catalina Rubiano.
The Razorbacks nearly netted the equalizer in the 86th minute after junior midfielder Rachel Riggs snuck behind the Tiger defense forcing Rubiano to leave the net. But freshman Alex Thomas made an instinctive, game-saving tackle to keep Riggs from getting a shot off on an open net.
Lee said Thomas’ play proved why she is already one of the elite defenders in the SEC.
“It was a big time play,” Lee said. “She’s probably one of the best right backs in the SEC and maybe in the whole country.”
LSU will travel back to Baton Rouge for a two-game home stand before it finishes the season on the road against the University of Kentucky.