With a spot in the SEC tournament at stake, the LSU soccer team knew exactly what they needed to do on Thursday night. The Tigers defeated South Carolina in a 4-0 blowout at the LSU Soccer Stadium.
The team sat at No. 11 in SEC standings prior to the match and moved up to No. 9 after the big win. SEC teams must qualify in the top-10 to compete at the conference tournament starting on Oct 31. The purple and gold ended the night with a season record of 10-5 overall and 3-5 in SEC while the Gamecocks dropped to 9-4-1 (4-2-1 SEC).
LSU soccer hosted Pups at the Pitch, so fans brought along their costumed dogs to fill the stands on Thursday night’s win. Not only did fans turn out for an excuse to show off their pets, but for a chance to witness LSU history. Senior Chiara Ritchie-Williams broke the record for most games played as an LSU athlete when she hit the field for her 92nd match. It was also the first match between the two SEC schools in three years, with the Tigers claiming their third straight win against the Gamecocks.
“I still believe in us and this team believes in ourselves,” Ritchie-Williams noted as the Tigers get prepped for South Carolina. “We know what is in front of us. We know what we are capable of. So we just have to go out there and play the way we know how to and the rest will take care of itself.”
Veteran Shannon Cooke gave the Tigers an early lead in the 18th minute of the game. The defender made her first goal of the season from a penalty. LSU kept good ball control for the remainder of the match, making 13 shots with six on goal. The Tigers scored yet again just 10 minutes after Cooke’s penalty kick goal.
In usual Tinaya Alexander fashion, the forward sped past her defenders from the midfield line all the way into the box. Alexander’s shot was blocked, but luckily transfer student Riley Dixon was able to knock the loose ball into the net. Dixon earned her second goal of the season while Alexander picked up her fourth assist.
Head Coach Sian Hudson’s vision on growth and focus on team chemistry definitely started to bloom throughout the Tigers’ performance in the night.
“We talked about being compact and organized defensively tonight,” Hudson said. “After the first 10 minutes or so, our confidence kept growing and growing. We kept the ball really well tonight.”
Despite the extensive lead just 30 minutes into the match, the team had no intentions of slowing down. Another 10 minutes passed, and the Tigers put yet another point onto the board. Thanks to a pass from Alesia Garcia, midfielder Meghan Johnson chipped one in from way outside the box. The 30-yard-goal marks Johnson’s third time to score this season. The remainder of the first half closed out quietly. Goalkeeper Mollee Swift registered three saves before halftime, catching grounders to the center of the net in the 24th minute and back-to-back towards the end of the half.
The Gamecocks led the attacking front coming into the second half, making a shot on goal in the 47th minute that Swift dove and easily collected. Swift faltered from the same attacker minutes later but defender Reese Moffatt denied the forward the open goal. Afterward, the Tigers maintained a steady defensive stance and garnered a seventh clean sheet on the night.
Johnson and forward Alexander both made shots on target, but it wasn’t until the 82nd minute when the Tigers could get another goal past Gamecock keeper Heather Hinz. Garcia, who assisted in the previous goal, made one of her own off a through ball sent from midfielder Jordan Johnson. Garcia pushed past a defender to send one soaring into the back of the net.
“It was a must-win game for us tonight and to come out and score four goals and keep a clean sheet is fantastic. Really proud of the team tonight; now we turn our focus to Florida on Sunday.”
Such a powerful SEC win hasn’t occurred for the Tigers since the 2015 season during their 4-3 defeat of Georgia. The purple and gold have seen 14 different Tigers score this season alone. Their triumph granted them a chance to make it to the 2021 SEC Tournament, but the Tigers must buckle down for the last two games of the season in order to remain in the top-10.
Up next, the Tigers will face the Florida Gators Sunday, whose 3-10-3 on the season, for a chance to win their first SEC match on the road under second-year head coach Hudson. LSU will return home for their final game of the season against Arkansas on Oct 28 at 7 pm C.T. The Razorbacks sit at the No. 1 spot in SEC standings. The powerhouse is undefeated in the SEC with eight wins under their belt and an overall 13-2 record this year.
Considering LSU soccer’s recent history of unpredictability, fans can still expect an exciting game that could swing either way.
