Robert StewartSports Writerslug: soccer advance tennessee/georgiahead: Tigers continue life after perfectionsubhead: LSU plays Tennessee, Georgiainches: 10.5The LSU soccer team did something last Friday it had not done all season.After reaching a top-10 ranking for the first time in school history, the Tigers lost to Ole Miss, 1-0, in Oxford, Miss., their first loss of the season.”Not every team is perfect,” said junior midfielder Michelle Makasini. “We couldn’t go 17-0.”LSU will have its first chance at redemption this weekend against Tennessee on Friday and Georgia on Sunday.LSU beat Mississippi State, 4-1, on Sept. 26, but the Tigers have fallen from No. 9 to No. 15 in the Soccer America poll after the loss to Ole Miss.LSU had 25 goals in its first seven games on 68 shots on goal but had only six shots on goal in a scorless effort against Ole Miss..”We didn’t play our best, but it wasn’t our worst either,” said junior forward Rachel Yepez. “Unfortunately things didn’t go our way, and that’s going to happen.”Yepez said Ole Miss usually gives LSU “competition” when the two teams play each other.”I think we were the better team,” Yepez said. “We hit the posts once or twice. We had a couple good chances, but we just couldn’t finish up top.”Senior forward Roslyn Jones said the team is still confident it can win the Southeastern Conference championship.”It just shows the SEC is a tough conference,” Jones said of the loss. “It’s always a battle against anyone you play.”LSU has played three straight games away from home and had three home games against Kent State, Dartmouth and Houston canceled because of Hurricane Gustav.”Most of us are upperclassmen — we’ve done this for three or four years now,” Makasini said of the travel. “We’ve gotten a lot smarter over time, like what to do with our bodies and how to rest ourselves.”Makasini said winning these next two road games will give LSU momentum into its home matches.”We really are a hard team to beat when we’re at home,” Makasini said.Tennessee and Georgia have combined for 14 losses on the season. The two teams only had nine losses total in 2007.”Georgia and Tennessee are quality teams that have played unbelievable schedules early on,” Lee said. “The results haven’t fallen their way.”LSU is tied for third in the SEC Western Division with Alabama and Ole Miss, behind undefeated Arkansas and Auburn.
 
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