In a record-breaking 2024 season, LSU soccer changed the game for themselves on multiple occasions.

From tone-setting exhibition performances to postseason showstoppers in the SEC quarterfinals and NCAA first round, the Tigers’ schedule was action-packed beginning to end.

After narrowly falling short of a second-round appearance in the NCAA Tournament, their season came to a close earlier this month. A completed calendar full of firsts, gamewinners and broken records, the team has plenty to be proud of when looking back on this year.

Here are five game-changing moments from LSU soccer’s season. 

Ava Galligan’s last-minute game winner

In the early season, the Tigers were 2-1 going into the fourth match of their schedule at Old Dominion in Norfolk, Virginia. Both teams had shutout their previous opponent and were entering the game with two wins a piece. 

The first half reflected the intensity of the competition with neither team able to get on the board. 

The second half started with a bang with a perfectly placed cross by Galligan to Kelsey Major who put the ball home. 

Not too long after, Old Dominion found a goal of their own, bringing the match back to square one. As play continued, the teams fought to keep their respective win streaks alive, but failed to make any headway in the stalemate. 

Finally, in the final minutes, Sydney Cheesman sent a free kick soaring into the penalty box, finding the head of Galligan, towering above the rest, to finish into the goal.  

A Virginia native, Galligan not only won the game for the Tigers, but secured an east coast sweep that would ignite a five-game undefeated streak.

Ida Hermannsdottir’s record back-to-back brace

Entering their sixth match of the season, LSU had yet to win at home. A showdown with their in-state rivals ULL was their last opportunity to change that before SEC play began. 

The Ragin’ Cajuns were having a historic start to their season, undefeated in seven games. 

The opposing team got the advantage in the first half, meaning the Tigers would have to make up some ground with 45 minutes to go. In the 60th minute, Gabbi Ceballos took a shot from outside of the 18 that landed into the net and out of reach of the ULL goalkeeper. 

Once again the score was tied up and a win was up for grabs. 

Almost 20 minutes later, a penalty kick was called in favor of LSU. Ida Hermannsdottir stepped up to take the kick and drilled it into the top left corner, turning the tables and giving the Tigers the lead. 

Play restarted, but Hermannsdottir was on a roll. 

Within moments after kickoff, she found the ball at her feet again. She sped into the box where she put the ball over the goalkeeper and into the net once again. 

Thirteen seconds separated the goals, which broke the previous records of least time between two goals and between two goals scored by the same player. 

The Cajuns were never able to comeback from it, and LSU took home their first home win in a historic night.

Sydney Cheesman’s first career goal in comeback game

In the depths of the SEC conference, the Tigers had garnered a streak of losses, putting their shot at the SEC tournament in jeopardy. 

The team traveled to College Station to face Texas A&M where defender Sydney Cheesman was returning to the pitch after receiving a red card and missing the team’s previous match. 

Like many times before, neither team would find a goal until the second half. First, a goal by A&M early in the half gave them the lead, but LSU was right behind them. 

Just over a minute later, the Tigers were awarded a penalty kick. Cheesman is often depended on to take free and corner kicks as she excels in long-distance assists. The kick would be the first PK in her collegiate career, which she would land perfectly evening the score in a crucial comeback game for both LSU and herself. 

The match would end in a 2-2 tie, which was considered a small victory for the Tigers in their road to recovery. Cheesman’s goal would set the tone for the remainder of the regular season.

Hermannsdottir’s make-or-break shot in regular season finale

LSU was on the road again for their regular season finale against Missouri in a match that would determine which of the two would receive one of the few remaining coveted spots in the SEC tournament. 

The teams clashed for over an hour, fighting for a goal to send them to the beach. 

In the 67th minute, Amy Smith sent a through ball to Hermannsdottir, who dribbled her way into the box and, in a moment of truth, launched the ball past the keeper and deep into the net. The goal marked her eighth of the season–the most of anyone on the roster. 

Missouri gave them everything, but the goal stood as the game winner and solidified LSU’s ticket to Pensacola. 

Second-half revenge against Auburn

The first round of the SEC tournament was a game of vengeance for the Tigers. 

Earlier in the regular season, Auburn shutout LSU 4-0 in Baton Rouge. Now, they faced once again with the winner moving on to the quarterfinals and the loser sent home empty-handed. 

The first half was fruitless for either team, but a breakout second half set the game alive. 

Danielle Shannon looked for a goal early in half, but her shot was deflected by Auburn’s goalkeeper. That deflection landed right at the feet of Ceballos, who jumped at the opportunity to catch the keeper off guard. She redirected the ball straight into the left side and put the scales in LSU’s favor. 

As both teams desperately fought, another Tiger made an opportunity for herself in the 70th minute. 

Graduate student Mollie Baker took possession and saw her gap. Building momentum, she took her shot, which smoothly slid past the goalkeeper. 

LSU’s second-half performance gave them the edge over Auburn, and with a 2-1 final score, they knocked out the No. 6 seed and top 25 team. The pair of goals projected the Tigers into the quarterfinals and would supplement their campaign to be chosen for the NCAA tournament.

A week later, they were on their way to their fourth consecutive postseason appearance–the first in program history.