It was hardly a pretty performance, but the LSU soccer team got the job done Friday night, grinding out a 2-0 win against South Alabama.
After finishing 2007 as the Southeastern Conference’s leading goal scorer, junior forward Rachel Yepez knocked in the season’s first goal from 18 yards out in the 25th minute. She followed that with a another score in the 61st minute when she slid past two defenders and placed the ball just inside the near goal post.
“Our outside midfielders are amazing, and you know the ball is going to get to you,” Yepez said. “We just have to be ready for it. The ball was bouncing around, and I was ready for it to go past the defender so I could slot it in.”
The two goals highlighted an otherwise messy game in which the offense took 20 shots with only six of them on target, and the defense gave away several balls to the South Alabama strikers.
“We gave the ball away at the back a lot,” LSU coach Brian Lee said. “South Alabama worked really hard, but we gave them a lot of chances on goal that were self-inflicted. It made us have to work a lot harder than we needed to.”
Senior midfielder Casey Crawford also had some concerns about the Tigers’ vulnerability at the back.
“Last year we had a solid back, and that’s what we build on,” Crawford said. “That’s one of the top things we need to improve. Our pass and move needs to get better, and we need to get in on every tackle, every time. But this is something we can build on.”
Time for improvement will be short, as the team returns to action tonight against stiffer competition. LSU kicks off tonight against BYU, a team that has reached the NCAA postseason three of the past four seasons.
“BYU is a solid team,” Yepez said. “They beat Florida State, and Florida State kicked our butts last year. We’re going to have to move the ball around a lot faster.”
BYU, fresh off its fourth Mountain West Conference championship since 1999, also enters the game with a 1-0 mark. The Cougars defeated California Polytechnic State, 2-1, Friday night.
“There’s a lot of work to do these next couple days,” Lee said Friday. “The first time you play outside competition you learn a lot about yourself — what you need to improve about yourself and what you’re already good at. We’ll be back at practice for a couple of days to sharpen up, and then we’ve got a big challenge Monday night.”
The game will be LSU’s final home contest before a weekend road trip to Chicago.
The Tigers and Cougars are set to kickoff at 7 p.m. at the LSU Soccer Complex.—-Contact David Helman at [email protected]