The LSU soccer team had its 10-game unbeaten streak come to an end Sunday afternoon, losing to Davidson 3-0 in the final game of the College of Charleston Tournament. The LSU soccer team has played five games in the last nine days, causing coach Brian Lee to be concerned about his players experiencing fatigue before Southeastern Conference play begins this weekend. This past weekend LSU (6-1-2) finally ran out of gas, suffering its first loss of the season Sunday after defeating the College of Charleston 4-0 Friday. Davidson sophomore Courtney Hart put the Wildcats on the board first in the 32nd minute, giving LSU just its second deficit all season. The Wildcats put the match away in the second half with goals in the 74th and 75th minutes by sophomores Kyri Bye-Nagel and Lauren Conner. LSU came into the match averaging 3.5 goals a match, but the Tigers were not able to muster any offense Sunday, recording just three shots on goal. “[Davidson] worked hard as a team [Sunday] and stayed organized for the full 90 minutes,” Lee said. “We missed on a couple of chances early on, but they came back and finished.” This was the first game LSU has lost since falling 2-1 to South Carolina on the road on Oct. 20, 2006. LSU dominated Friday’s match, taking the lead in the second minute of the match on a goal by sophomore Rachel Yepez. Yepez’s score came off a pass from sophomore Melissa Clarke. Clarke pushed LSU’s lead to 2-0 just four minutes into the match, receiving a pass from sophomore Amanda Carreno before scoring from the top of the 18-yard box. The Tigers received unneeded help in the 35th minute of the match when College of Charleston defender Danielle Jordan was given an own-goal following a cross by Yepez, to give LSU a 3-0 halftime lead. Yepez finished the LSU scoring in the first minute of the second half, finishing a cross from sophomore Malorie Rutledge. With the two-goal game, Yepez now has SEC-best nine goals for the season. “We’re really playing great as a team right now,” Yepez said. “It’s a lot of fun to play with these girls, and know that we have a lot of trust in one another when we step on the field.” Lee said Friday’s match was important as the Tigers prepare for SEC play. “The forwards played well for us again tonight, and we did a great job of putting shots on frame,” he said. “It’s another good step forward for this club as we approach the start of SEC play.” LSU returns to action this weekend with home matches against Mississippi State and Mississippi on Friday and Sunday to begin conference play. Lee said Sunday’s loss needs to be a building block for the team as the Tigers begin their conference schedule. “It’s important that we learn from this game and move forward,” he said. “We’re now starting our second season, and we need to come out focused and ready to go for the start of conference play.”
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