LSU returned to Baton Rouge on Friday after its three-win road trip to play its first Southeastern Conference home match against Ole Miss.
The Rebels (4-5-0, 0-2 SEC) looked to bounce back after a recent loss to Missouri, but The Tigers (5-4-0, 1-1 SEC) didn’t allow it, as they won 3-0.
The Tigers came out aggressive, getting the ball in the box in the sixth minute.
Ole Miss’s sophomore goalkeeper Marnie Merritt nearly allowed an own goal, dropping what should have been an easy save. But the Tigers did not capitalize on the blunder.
The pace continued Ole Miss gaining a free kick minutes later, swiftly followed by a corner kick. The Rebels and Tigers went scoreless for the first 29 minutes before LSU’s junior forward Jorian Baucom dribbled into the box and gained a foul, leading to a penalty kick.
Baucom lined up for the kick, striking the ball towards the right lower 90 of the goal and in, giving the Tigers a 1-0 lead in the 30th minute.
“Basically every time I step up to take a PK I have a certain routine I have to do before I step up and take it,” Baucom said. “Ultimately, I try not to look at the keeper and once I pick a way in my head I just stick with it and try to place it as best as I can.”
The first half was ugly with more offsides than shots with the two teams would go into halftime with the score 1-0, marking Ole Miss’s fifth-straight half without a goal.
The score would remain 1-0 for the first 25 minutes of the half until LSU’s senior forward Summer Clarke earned and drilled LSU’s second penalty kick of the evening.
Jorian Baucom would again line up for LSU’s penalty kick after Summer Clarke’s attack. This time striking the ball towards the middle of the goal and into the back of the net, giving LSU the 2-0 advantage in the 70th minute.
“[Jorian Baucom] has got a good routine,” said LSU coach Brian Lee. “She is very familiar with the process with it and any time you have a good process, you go either way in terms of which direction you shoot it, you’ve got a great chance of success. We’re really comfortable with her.”
The Tigers would not stop there, then, freshman midfielder Jade Clarke drove the ball down the left line before having the ball deflected out giving LSU a corner kick.
Freshman defender Marlena Cutura lined up for the corner kick, striking it to the outside post right to the head of junior midfielder Zoe Higgins for her first goal in the 77th minute.
“I think since Marlena’s corner kicks are right in the danger spot in the box all we do is step out and get our head on it and it’ll most likely go in,” Higgins said.
The Tigers would not give up a goal in this match, as sophomore goalkeeper Caroline Brockmeier notched her fourth clean sheet on the season.
LSU’s win was its first at home and first SEC win of the season, putting them a game above .500 and bringing their SEC record to .500, too.
“[The first home win] means everything, I think we just need to start taking this momentum into Sunday and just start taking one game at a time,” said Baucom. “If we stay consistent with the way we played tonight we’re going to get a lot of wins this season.”
The Tigers next match comes Sept. 18 at LSU’s Soccer Stadium against Lamar University.