Less than a minute into overtime, No. 11 Texas scored a goal to beat the LSU soccer team 4-3 on Sunday night in Austin. LSU led 3-1 going into the second half, but the Tigers failed on two scoring opportunities in the second half allowing Texas to push the game into overtime.
“Basically, we went into the second half playing not to lose,” senior midfielder Jen deHay said in a phone interview following Sunday night’s game. “[Coach] George [Fotopoulos] told us at half time to play exactly like we did in the first half. Basically we went out there and didn’t listen to him. We were content being up by two and worked to preserve the lead and not increase it.”
It was the Tigers’ second overtime game of the weekend. LSU played Tulane to a 1-1 draw on Friday night in a game full of penalties and fouls.
“We didn’t get there in time to warm up and basically had to play as soon as we got off the bus,” said junior forward Artie Brown of Friday’s game. “It’s just one of those things. We should have beat them three to zero.”
Friday’s game proved to be costly for the Tigers. Assistant coach Ricky Zambrano and sophomore defender Tara Mitnick both received red cards and were required to sit out the Texas game. Freshman midfielder Michelle DeCespedes injured her ankle and also did not dress out for Sunday night’s game. Coach George Fotopoulos said she is day to day and expects her to return to play soon.
“If we had come out with this intensity against Tulane, the score would’ve been 7-0,” deHay said. “It was the toughest team we had faced up to that point. We had every kind of setback we could possibly have in the game. We were playing a man down for about 30 minutes. It really limited our attack.”
Despite being without the services of Mitnick and DeCespedes, LSU came close to gaining its second victory of a Top 25 team for only the second time in the history of the program.
“It is always disappointing to know that you were ahead at half time and lose in overtime, but this game wasn’t as disappointing because of the team we played,” said senior midfielder Stephanie Keating.
Freshman Ashleigh Gunning was forced to play sweeper in place of Mitnick, a position Gunning has never practiced at since she became a Tiger.
“It was difficult because Tara was our mainstay in the back, but Ashleigh really stepped up,” deHay said.
Texas was also coming off a double-overtime match on Friday. The Longhorns lost to No. 1 North Carolina 1-0 in the second overtime. Fotopoulos said the depth of the Texas team made the difference in the end.
“In the overtime period, we just didn’t have many legs left,” he said.
In the first half, LSU scored on 3-of-5 shots, but the Longhorns outshot the Tigers 33-8 for the game and held the Tigers to zero corner kick opportunities. Brown, Keating and freshman forward Stacy Bishop each tallied goals for the Tigers. Bishop leads the team with ten goals on the season.
Junior goalkeeper Robyn DesOrmeaux recorded 29 saves and helped keep the Tigers in the game, but she credited the defense for making her job easier.
“I attribute it to the defense for making them bad shots,” she said. “They gave it their all.”