The LSU soccer team snapped a five-game losing streak on Thursday, defeating Kentucky 1-0. This victory marked the first SEC win on the road for the Tigers under Head Coach Sian Hudson.
“It was great to see some fight back in us tonight,” Hudson said. “It was a total team effort all 90 minutes for that win. We played for each other tonight.
“Now we will look to carry this momentum from this performance tonight into our next match against South Carolina.”
After a five-game losing spell, Hudson decided it was time for an unconventional approach.The coach mixed up the starting lineup against Kentucky, and to the viewers surprise, this lineup did not include leading goal scorer Tinaya Alexander in the starting 11.
Molly Thompson and Taylor Dobles were the starting forwards alongside Alesia Garcia. The game plan included Dobles and Thompson’s speed wearing down the Wildcat defenders early on in the match.
Midway through the first half ,Alexander was subbed onto the pitch. Neither side could break through the opposing defense to put a goal on the board in the first 45 minutes of play. Going into halftime, the Tigers outshot Kentucky 10-3, while drawing six corner kicks.
The story of the match was written in the 72nd minute. Alexander shimmied her way into the box drawing a penalty kick due to an unsuccessful slide tackle attempt by a Wildcat defender. Goalkeeper Mollee Swift walked into the box, staring into the eyes of the opposing keeper. Composed and collected, Swift sent the ball to the left of the Kentucky keeper to put the Tigers ahead 1-0.
“It’s something that we’ve talked about prior,” Swift said on if she was surprised to be called on for the penalty kick. “I’m confident with doing it. It was my time to step up. I’m glad we could get this win on the road.”
Swift secured her first collegiate goal, while also becoming the first LSU keeper since 2013 to score a goal.
The Tigers have three matches left on their schedule to punch their ticket into the SEC tournament. With last night’s victory, LSU is now tied with Texas A&M for the 10th spot in the conference tournament. The top-10 teams in the conference compete in a series of matches to see who sits on the throne in the SEC. If LSU can produce a handful of successful outcomes in their upcoming matchups, then they will have a chance to prove their early season success was not a fluke.
LSU returns to Baton Rouge on Thursday, Oct. 21 to face off against a high-powered South
Carolina squad.