The LSU soccer team lost in penalty kicks the last two seasons in the Southeastern Conference tournament.
The Tigers weren’t going to let it get to that point Thursday.
Freshman forward Addie Eggleston scored the lone goal of the match in the first period of overtime to lift No. 6-seed LSU (8-8-4, 4-4-3) to a 1-0 win against No. 3-seed Tennessee (10-9-1, 7-3-1) in the Tigers’ first SEC tournament match.
“It was really good to see Addie finish one today,” said LSU coach Brian Lee. “She’s been playing so well, just not getting goals behind it. Today she came through in a really big moment.”
Eggleston buried the goal off a free kick from junior defender Taryne Boudreau. It was Eggleston’s first goal since scoring two in the season opener against South Alabama.
“Boudreau hit in a big high ball far post, [junior midfielder] Natalie Martineau squared it back, and Addie Eggleston trapped it and finished it,” Lee said.
There were only eight total shots on goal on the blustery afternoon in Orange Beach, Ala. The game was supposed to be played yesterday but was postponed after rain covered the field.
“There was about a 25-mile-per-hour wind blowing straight down the field,” Lee said. “In the first half we had it at our back, but we just didn’t play very well.”
Lee said his substitutions were key to keeping the game a scoreless tie. Sophomore forward Reyna Lubin played 81 minutes, and freshman forward Nina Anderson played 55 minutes off the bench.
The Tigers were outshot 19-8 in the game and 11-3 in the second half, but Lee said the shot differential wasn’t indicative of the pace of the game. Both teams had four shots on goal in the match.
“Going into the wind the second half, we played a lot better and came back into the game,” he said. “Probably we were a little fresher than Tennessee at the end because we rotated so many kids in the first half.”
Lee said the majority of Volunteer shots were taken from long range and weren’t a problem for freshman goalkeeper Megan Kinneman. The 1-0 win gave the Tigers their ninth shutout of the season.
“As soon as they were within 40 yards and free, they were trying to put it on frame,” he said. “It’s going to be difficult to beat Megan from that far.”
Kinneman’s highlight of the day came late in the second half on a diving save that she deflected over the crossbar.
“Megan’s been tremendous,” Lee said. “Everything about her is very polished, and she is mature far beyond her years. She’s got cat-quick reflexes and made one great save in regulation today that allowed us to get to the overtime.”
LSU had 14 games decided by a goal or less during the regular season. Lee said the tight matches have prepared the Tigers for competitive games in the SEC tournament.
“They’re a young team learning how to win close games,” he said. “A lot of our freshmen really contributed today in the heat of the moment, and so that’s a big step.”
The goal propels LSU to the semifinals tonight against South Carolina at 5 p.m.
 
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Contact Rowan Kavner at [email protected]