Athlete of the Week is an ongoing weekly series.
At a university where nearly every athletic program is nationally relevant, there’s never a shortage of options. There are always electric playmakers to be found.
The Reveille Athlete of the Week is LSU soccer’s Ava Galligan.
After a four-game losing streak, LSU soccer needed a play, and Galligan knew there was plenty of time to change the game.
The six-foot sophomore was positioned at the top of Texas A&M’s six-yard box when the ball fell into her feet. She took her first and only shot of the night, which flew past the goalkeeper into the net.
For the first time in almost three weeks, LSU took the lead.
Head coach Sian Hudson showed gratitude for Galligan’s efforts in the match.
“[Galligan] came up big for us in that moment, just scrapping around, finding the ball and then just putting it home,” said Hudson.
Both teams struggled in the first half, with LSU lacking the ability to keep possession long enough to take shots on goal. Forwards, including Galligan, would play the ball into the opponent’s 18-yard box but lose control moments later.
“I was a little disappointed in the first half because my touches weren’t as close as I’d like them to be, but everybody else rallied behind me and kept me and my head in the game,” said Galligan.
The match was scoreless in its first half, but it was knotted up after goals by both teams in the second half.
After a controversial call by the referee visibly frustrated the A&M team, Galligan felt opportunistic.
“We have an Icelandic goalkeeper, and one of her things when she first got here was ‘balls to the wall,’” Galligan explained. “So honestly, I just tried to run through the ball and hope that it was me that came out with it at the end and that’s what happened, so that’s just lucky.”
The goal marked her fifth of the season and would have been her third game-winner if not for a late A&M goal that finalized a 2-2 draw for the night.
Although not a win, a point in conference is long overdue for the Tigers. There is no question LSU would have lost that match if not for Galligan, who gave LSU its first goal in four games outside of penalty kicks.
“I think we’re a little bit disappointed with the tie because we definitely could have used the win tonight, but I definitely think it’s momentum in the right direction,” said Galligan. “I think we just proved that when we’re all in the game and when we’re all going balls to the wall, and everybody’s doing 100% on offense and defense, that we can really make something out of nothing.”
