The LSU soccer team came up one goal short in the quarterfinals on Tuesday night, becoming the sixth team eliminated from the SEC tournament by the hands of the No.1 seeded Arkansas Razorbacks.
“As the game went on, I thought we got more comfortable in possession and were able to break lines,” Head Coach Sian Hudson said. “I thought we had five or six big moments entering Arkansas’ defensive third and we didn’t really capitalize until that final minute.”
The Tigers defeated the Razorbacks 4-2 to cap off the final game of the regular season, propelling them into the ninth spot entering the SEC tournament. Ironically, Arkansas sought out revenge to ensure LSU’s conference championship hopes would not last for long, winning 2-1 at Orange Beach, Alabama.
After LSU spoiled Arkansas’ plans for a perfect season in conference play, it was evident that the Razorbacks approached this matchup with a different mindset. Arkansas kept pressure on the Tigers from the opening kick-off, all the way up until the final whistle was blown.
The Razorbacks had multiple chances early on in the match to take the lead and cashed in within the first 20 minutes of the game to take a 1-0 lead, similarly to their regular season performance last week when Parker Goins drilled a goal in the opening minutes of the match. This time it was a little later in the match and it was Arkansas’ forward Anna Podojil. She kept her composure as she put the ball away in the 18th minute.
Later on the pitch, Podojil would strike again. She added her second goal of the game, capitalizing off an Arkansas corner kick in the 61st minute. This is when the SEC network announcers claimed that goal was the ‘dagger’ in the Tiger’s season.
In a final push out of desperation to continue their season and extend their walks on the beach, defender Shannon Cooke scored a consolation goal in the 90th minute to close out the match 2-1.
Despite the loss, the Tigers still have high hopes that their season is far from over.
“Overall, it’s been a great season for us,” Hudson said. “I think we’ve done enough to get in the national tournament. You’ll never know until selection day, but we’ve accomplished some big things this season. We’ll get back to Baton Rouge and prepare like we have more games ahead of us.”
The NCAA tournament hosts 64 teams with the first 32 selected being auto bids by conference championship winners. The Tigers boast four top-25 wins on the season, while also being ranked No.5 nationally through the midway point of the season. The NCAA Selection Show will be conducted on Monday, Nov. 8 at 3:30 p.m. CT.
