In its seventh double-overtime game of the season, the LSU soccer team secured a 1-0 win against Vanderbilt on Sunday afternoon in the LSU Soccer Stadium.
Freshman midfielder Haley Emerson scored the golden goal and her first career goal in the 108th minute from six yards out after the ball was assisted by freshman midfielder Jade Kovacevic. Kovacevic pushed the ball 30 yards up the field past four Commodore players then crossed the ball into the box where senior forward Carlie Banks drew out Vanderbilt goalkeeper redshirt sophomore Alexa Levick who left the net wide open for Emerson to score.
“When she was driving down the line we were all screaming, ‘get in the box,’” Emerson said. “Right when she scored I looked at her because I knew she gave it everything she had.”
The overtime win for LSU is the first since the season opener at Oklahoma when junior midfielder Alex Arlitt also scored the golden goal in the 108th minute.
Emerson and junior midfielder Danielle Murphy entered the game for the first time in the second overtime period to relieve tired players.
“[LSU coach Brian Lee] always tells us every minute counts,” Emerson said. “He told me right before I went in, try to score the goal for us because I had fresh legs.”
LSU outshot Vanderbilt 20-11 overall and 10-4 in the first half. The Tigers outshot their opponent for the first time since their 1-0 win in Starkville against Mississippi State on Sept. 28. LSU defenders Jodi Calloway and Alex Ramsey played in the midfield and led the Tigers with four shots a piece.
LSU controlled the tempo for the majority of the game. Of the 11 Vanderbilt shots, the Tigers allowed only one Commodore shot on goal compared to the Tigers’ six.
Lee said his team played the best they’ve played this season.
“Passing and moving was really good,” Lee said. “The back four was outstanding. The forwards worked really hard, created lots of chances and kept plugging and plugging to get the winner.”
The Tigers had a couple close opportunities to score in the first half from freshman forward Fernanda Piña and Ramsey who had shots that both rolled just wide to the right of the goal.
With the win over Vanderbilt, LSU won its first Southeastern Conference home game and will keep its post-season hopes alive.
“It’s a tough game,” Lee said. “Shots don’t always translate into goals, and chances don’t always translate into goals…but it was a needed three points.”
LSU had six corner kicks to Vanderbilt’s four, which is an improvement to the team’s zero in Friday night’s 2-0 loss to Florida. Florida dominated the game with 13 corner kicks and 22 shots compared to LSU’s three shots. LSU junior goalkeeper Megan Kinneman saved seven of Florida’s nine shots on goals, and Florida goalkeeper sophomore Taylor Burke saved LSU’s lone shot on goal by Kovacevic.
‘…Chances don’t always translate into goals…but it was a needed three points.’
