On Thursday night at the LSU soccer stadium, the weather was cool, the band was loud and the Tigers were on top.
LSU got the jump on the Sooners and finalized a dominant week at home. The Tigers tallied three goals for the evening, and each with a different foot behind the ball. Ava Galligan, Ida Hermannsdottir and Ava Amsden all found the net in a crucial SEC match for LSU.
Before the game, the Tigers stood 7th in the SEC standings and Oklahoma at 9th.
Head Coach Sian Hudson was anticipating it to be a strong matchup.
“We knew that Oklahoma would ask lots of questions in terms of direct play and putting balls in the box,” Hudson said. “We obviously had to win a lot of balls out of the air tonight and just be physical and tough.”
With Oklahoma’s entrance into the SEC, the pair battled it out for the first time in 12 years, gold vs. crimson.
In the first 45 minutes, LSU defenders such as Jazmin Ferguson gave the Sooners a challenge, blocking almost all attempts to break through their wall.
“I think our back four, goalkeeper deserves a massive shout-out tonight because they dealt with a lot,” said Hudson. “Overall, we’ve made a lot of progress in that area of the field since our UC Davis loss.”
Meanwhile, forwards such as Mollie Baker had a few good looks at the goal early on, but couldn’t find any luck.
“I’m really pleased with the girls,” Hudson said. “I think we’ve got lots of players contributing minutes at the moment. We’ve got a lot of depth in the squad.”
A first half full of fouls, the Tigers were able to find opportunities in free kick set pieces, contributing to the majority of their shots.
LSU led an impressive 68% of possession in the first half of the game.
The Tigers did not allow the Sooners to take a shot until the 24th minute. As the match grew closer to halftime, only 5 shots were totaled by both teams combined, and the anticipation for a goal grew.
Finally, a breakthrough in the midfield.
With five minutes left in the half, LSU forward Andrea Iljkic placed a through ball for Galligan in a breakthrough run past the defensive line and to take on one of the SEC’s top goalkeepers, Caroline Duffy, in a 1-on-1.
Galligan slid the ball right by the goalie and into the right side of the net to take her fourth goal of the season.
The crowd roared.
At the halftime whistle, the Tigers knew there was a job to finish, and the fans were hungry for more.
“I think the home fans always give you a lift,” said Hudson.
After the half, the first corner kick of the game was set up by Oklahoma but quickly snatched up by LSU goalkeeper Audur Scheving.
Then, just over 10 minutes into the second half, lightning struck twice.
Ida Hermannsdottir put the ball through the legs of the Oklahoma goalkeeper and into the goal, giving the Tigers a cushioned 2-0 lead.
Now, the pressure was on.
LSU resumed the match on top of their game. Sydney Cheesman had a dominating presence on the right sideline, and the defense was almost always first to the ball inside the 18-yard box, denying any openings for the Oklahoma offense.
In the 72nd minute, LSU conceded an own goal after an accidental deflection that hit the crossbar and barely crossed the goal line. A close call, the referee decided to use a video assistant review to confirm the goal.
No longer cushioned by two goals, Galligan came back onto the pitch in the last 15 minutes of the match to try and find the net, but it was freshman Ava Amsden who became the last scorer of the night.
After a long run into the 18, Amsden was fouled by the goalkeeper and rewarded with a penalty kick. Amsden sent it into the left side of the goal and made the score 3-1 with 11 minutes to go.
The final whistle blew, and the Tigers celebrated their second SEC win.
“Overall, I think we thoroughly deserved to win the game,” Hudson said. “Obviously, they outshot us, but I think the quality of our shots and the chances that we had were much higher.”
In the end, Oklahoma had 11 shots to LSU’s six, but almost 67% of LSU’s shots were on goal compared to Oklahoma’s 27%.
The Tigers finished their third SEC match with a new 2-1-0 conference record. As of now, LSU is second in the SEC.
Mississippi State is next on the LSU calendar on Sunday, Sept. 29 at 6:30 p.m. After a game postponement, they sit right behind LSU at No. 3.
Mississippi State beat Oklahoma 2-0 in their match last week.
“We know Starkville is going to be a difficult challenge. We’ve gone there in recent years and had a couple of really close losses, but we always have a really big battle against Mississippi State, and it’ll be no different on Sunday,” said Hudson.
Thursday night’s results reflect the diverse talent within the LSU lineup. On the right track, Hudson and her team need to convert wins into momentum.
“Two wins on the bounce in the SEC is something that we have to be pleased for, but now we’re looking at Mississippi State on Sunday,” said Hudson. “We’ll be ready for them and looking for three in a row.”
