For the second time in as many matches, freshmen paced the LSU women’s soccer team as a weary Tiger squad squeaked out a 2-1 home victory Tuesday evening against Stephen F. Austin. Freshman midfielder Fernanda Piña buried a 78-minute game winner off an assist from fellow freshmen Heather Magee and Victoria Sample, and the Tigers (3-1-1) overcame an early deficit in a match postponed by Hurricane Isaac. “I thought we were happy to get the result,” said LSU coach Brian Lee. “Stephen F. Austin came in with a good gameplan and their kids were dedicated enough to stick to it. We were in trouble.” That trouble began in the ninth minute, as Ladyjacks forward Chelsea Raymond struck from 11 yards out for her fifth goal in six matches. SFA forward Zuri Prince collected a towering free kick just inside the penalty box, drawing three Tiger defenders to her. Prince nimbly deflected the ball to Raymond, who sent a lofted strike to the far left post past LSU goalkeeper Megan Kinneman. “It was another soft goal we allowed on a set kick,” Lee said. “It was just like one we gave up to N.C. State last week. Our back line is young but they have to grow up fast.” The Tigers controlled the run of play for the remainder of the half, finally evening the sheet on sophomore forward Kaley Blades’ cross-turned-goal in the 33rd minute. Running up the right flank, Blades played a lofty cross toward senior forward Carlie Banks, who was in position just nine yards from the net. Banks and two Ladyjacks defenders each whiffed on the ball, but the commotion was enough to distract SFA goalkeeper Lacey Lee and earn Blades her second goal this season. “I was just crossing it into Carlie, who was making a great run,” Blades said. “She just kind of dummied it. That fooled the keeper and it was lucky to roll in.” Stephen F. Austin came out firing in the second half, though, as LSU – playing its second match in three days - struggled to fend off the feisty Ladyjacks’ offensive push. On a sweltering night, Lee attempted to counteract his team’s tired legs by rotating 16 different Tigers on and off the pitch. “It was a conscious effort to switch them out like that, especially how much we were chasing them,” Lee said. “We have a lot of different kids who could be effective. Our bench goes deep without losing quality.” The strategy paid off, as LSU kept SFA off the board and eventually cashed in on its first scoring chance in nearly 30 minutes. Magee earned possession near midfield before maneuvering down to the goal line, where she sent a curling cross inside the keeper’s six-yard box. Sample headed it down to Piña, who found the net with a two-yard, left-footed finish for her first career goal.
____ Contact Chris Abshire at [email protected]; Twitter: @AbshireTDR