LSU must rely on an at-large bid to make the NCAA tournament after falling to Florida, 1-0, on Friday night in the semifinals of the Southeastern Conference tournament in Orange Beach, Ala. But LSU coach Brian Lee said he feels comfortable with the Tigers’ chances of making the NCAA tournament. “I’d be stunned if we weren’t selected,” Lee said. “Those things are out of our control, but I think we’ve done plenty to get in.” Much like the previous 5-0 loss to Florida on Oct. 28 game, Florida (15-4-2, 9-2) outshot the Tigers (11-4-7, 5-2-4) by a wide margin totaling 22 shots with 10 of them being shots on goal, while LSU had only two total shots with one on goal. Florida’s first nine shots on goal were saved by senior keeper Valerie Vogler, but the 10th shot was the difference maker. The game’s lone goal was scored with less than four minutes remaining in the second overtime period when Florida senior Shana Hudson scored her third goal of the season from 17 yards out after receiving a pass from senior Stacy Bishop. In overtime, the “golden goal” format is used, meaning that the first team to score before time expires wins the match. Florida had been outscoring opponents 30-1 in its 10 previous matches. “It is really a good time for us to win a tight game like this.” Florida coach Becky Burleigh said in a news release. “We haven’t faced a lot of adversity this month. This is the first time we did, and I’m glad we came out on top.” Lee said he appreciated the Tigers’ effort to play a tough opponent so closely. “We fought really hard,” Lee said. “[But] we weren’t able to hold on and get into penalty kicks where we feel really good about our chances.” LSU had only had one match this season be decided by penalty kicks. In its first-round game of the SEC tournament, LSU defeated Auburn, 4-2, on penalty kicks after having a 2-2 tie through regulation and the two overtime periods. Friday’s win sends Florida to its 11th SEC tournament final in the program’s 13-year history and its ninth win against LSU in program history as they hold a 9-0-2 all-time record against the Tigers. The Gators have won the SEC tournament seven times. Although the season result is arguably LSU’s best in the program’s history, Lee said his team will not settle for a semifinals finish in the SEC tournament. “We’re not trying to measure ourselves too much against past teams because it’s a totally different situation,” Lee said. “Our goals and aspirations go beyond winning the SEC West and beyond the semifinals. We want to be competitive to win the SEC tournament every year.”
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Soccer loses to Florida at SEC tournament in overtime
November 11, 2007