Despite a No. 18 ranking, five players named to a postseason team and a Homecoming queen, in the end, the LSU soccer team came a few goals short.
After going 13-6-1, LSU earned a spot in the NCAA tournament playing No. 17 Texas A&M in College Station, Texas.
LSU coach Brian Lee would make a surprise move starting sophomore goalkeeper Megan Kinneman ahead of senior Mo Isom.
Kinneman and the Tigers would go on to lose the match, 4-0, ending LSU’s season.
However, before LSU traveled to Texas A&M, the team had to take a trip to Orange Beach, Ala., in hopes of avenging a 3-1 loss to Auburn earlier in the season.
LSU procured the No. 2 spot in the SEC after finishing conference play 8-3, a game shy of South Carolina.
But LSU’s streak of reaching the conference semi-finals was stopped at four. The Tigers lost to Auburn, 3-0, after having to play a man down for the final minutes of the game.
The Tigers struggled to find the net early in the season, being outscored, 5-1, in three losses that put LSU at a 1-3 record.
Like most teams, LSU was still struggling to find its playing style early in the season. Many of the younger players were competing for playing time and an early-season goalkeeper battle made for some uncertainty in Baton Rouge.
“They’re competing every day, and eventually we hope a few will emerge as the clear starters,” Lee said in October. “They know they have to stay on their toes in every practice or else someone will beat them out.”
After a 1-0 double overtime loss to Rice, LSU went on a nine-game winning streak that included a 1-1 tie with No. 7 Pepperdine and a 2-0 victory against then-No. 10 Tennessee.
LSU outscored opponents, 17-5, during the run.
That streak boosted the Tigers to a 10-3-1 record, including a perfect 4-0 in Southeastern Conference play and the conference’s top spot.
“We know that you don’t win the SEC at home on a Friday night,” Lee said in October. “You win them on the road when you’re tired in Sunday games.”
The Tigers split the four-game road stretch, including a foreshadowing loss to Auburn. But LSU was able to remain tied for the No. 1 spot in the SEC after its 2-0 win against Alabama.
“We’re better off after this season than we were entering it,” Lee said. “There’s a lot of youth on this team, and we’ll regroup this offseason to hopefully improve on this result going forward.”
 
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Contact Michael Gegenheimer at [email protected]