The LSU soccer team fell to 0-2 in the Southeastern Conference for the first time since 1997, losing to Kentucky and Vanderbilt last weekend. The Tigers (7-3-1) lost three of their six games on the road over the past month.
“I think that this is a turning point in the season,” said senior midfielder Jen deHay. “From here we can either go downhill or we can take it as a reality check and realize we are not as good as we thought we were and we have to fight more to win. It’s going to be hard, but this is the best team we’ve had in four years. We just got to decide.”
“It’s really disappointing,” said junior goalkeeper Robyn DesOrmeaux. “We had very high expectations going into the weekend. The coaches gave us all the tools we needed to succeed. We kind of backed ourselves into a corner in both games.”
LSU opened up SEC play Friday night against Kentucky (4-5-1, 2-0 SEC) with a 2-0 loss. deHay said a combination of obnoxious Kentucky fans and the Tigers’ inability to beat Kentucky’s high pressure helped secure a Wildcat victory.
“Their fans were really obnoxious,” deHay said. “I am glad that we didn’t let it get in to our heads too much during the game. They just high pressed us. Even though we practiced two weeks on it, we were unable to get the ball there like we did in practice.”
Kentucky outshot LSU 13-7 for the game, and the Tigers only attempted one corner kick compared to the Wildcats’ 10. The Tigers also earned the only two yellow cards given in the game.
“We just got outplayed by Kentucky who was the better team tonight,” said LSU coach George Fotopoulos after the game. “We are just very inexperienced and we had some key players who did not step up tonight, and when that happens it is tough to win.”
Kentucky entered Friday’s contest having played four top-20 teams, including a 2-1 loss to No. 12 BYU and a 2-2 double-overtime tie against eighth-ranked Duke.
The Tigers ended their six-game road trip at Vanderbilt. Both teams were scoreless at half, but Vandy took a 1-0 lead at the 51:57 mark and that was all the Commodores needed, as LSU was unable to capitalize on any scoring opportunities.
“Just as winning was contagious for us in the preseason, losing can be just as contagious,” deHay said. “We came out hesitant and scared. That was definitely a game that got away from us.”
LSU will return to home play this weekend against Ole Miss Friday at 7 p.m. and Mississippi State Sunday at 2 p.m. at the LSU Soccer Complex.