LSU soccer lost 3-1 to University of Texas at Austin in the LSU Soccer Stadium on Sunday. The Longhorns scored three unanswered goals, and the Tigers only goal came late in the game off of a penalty kick.
After a tough loss to Kentucky on the road earlier this week in a close match that came down to the final minutes, LSU wasn’t able to make the necessary changes to get a win this weekend.
While they didn’t get the victories, the Tigers were aggressive on offense, constantly aiming to catch up to the Longhorns.
However, Texas’ explosiveness at the goal solidified the win. The team averages 20.1 shots per game and LSU averages 14. Once the Longhorns had a three-goal lead, they just needed to focus on holding off LSU.
With this loss, LSU is now ranked No. 11 in the SEC. The Tigers are barely holding on to a spot in the Southeastern Conference tournament where 12 of the 16 teams make it.
“We’ve got to get results at the end of the day. We need points to get up to the SEC tournament,” head coach Sian Hudson said.
As the game kicked off, the LSU offense was quickly taking control of the ball, not letting Texas have a chance to run away with it and score.
Just five minutes into the game Hermannsdottir took a shot, and the fans roared as they thought it went into the net. Unfortunately, it was saved just before making it into the goal by keeper Mia Justus. This would have been an early lead the Tigers needed.
Both goalkeepers were saving shots left and right in the opening minutes, but Longhorn Amalia Villareal scored in the 20th minute, and two minutes later, Jilly Shimkin snagged the team’s second goal.
Being down by two, the Tigers couldn’t get into the box and around the Longhorn’s defense. On top of LSU’s inability to finish at the goal, Hermannsdottir was taken out of the game with a possible ankle injury.
The Longhorn’s defense was nothing short of on top of it. As well, when the offense was in control of the ball there was no chance of LSU being able to take the ball back.
LSU didn’t have much possession of the ball with the lack of shots with only eight shot attempts in the first half compared to Texas’ 11 shots.
The game was nothing short of a gritty fight from injuries to blood. The Tigers had a strong fight to get the ball into the box, and right before the end of the first half, freshman Riley MacDonald was ushered off the field with blood dripping down from her face.
With LSU not being able to take control, it was a tough second half for the Tigers.
The start of the second half left LSU fans feeling frustrated, but there was a dust of optimism that they could make a comeback to walk away with a win at home. Luckily for the Tigers, Hermannsdottir was back on the field, trying to get possession as best she could while fighting off the Longhorns.
With time running out in the second half for LSU, the Tigers fell more and more behind. The Longhorns scored their third and final goal in the 57th minute when forward Lexi Missimo dribbled up the field and scored.
As Longhorns’ Lauren Lapomarda fouled on forward Andrea Iljkic, she was awarded a penalty kick inside the box. The players lined up and the stadium was silent as she took her kick, the ball went flying straight into the goal and the crowd erupted into cheers for the first time since the players ran out the locker room.
The Tigers will need more wins in the upcoming weeks to increase their total points, so it has a chance to reach the SEC tournament.
So where will the Tigers be able to find those points?
Something needs to change fast, and LSU is running out of time with less than a month until the tournament starts.
On Friday, Oct. 18, the Tigers will be on the road against Texas A&M in College Station.
Hopefully, there is a turnaround in the Tigers’ strategy by then to allow them a win against No. 7 A&M at 7 p.m.
