Fans packed the stands at LSU Soccer Stadium for the first round of the NCAA tournament. After making the Lamar Cardinals chase them all over the field, the Tigers came out on top.

With a final score of 3-1, LSU added one more to their previous 3-0 win streak over the Cardinals. Midfielder Ida Hermannsdottir, the team’s leading scorer, claimed the first goal of the game in the thirty-second minute. The second was a penalty kick scored by Mollee Swift.

“I think we were really confident for the second half. We just thought we should play our game like we did in the first half.” Hermannsdottir said. “You could see in the second half how good we are and how good we can be and how many shots we got on goal.”

One of the key factors that led the Bayou Bengals to a win was their ability to keep the ball. This allowed them to take 17 shots in the second half alone and kept the action in Tiger territory. With the Cardinals constantly chasing, LSU was able to get the upper hand early on.

“I think overall, I thought we bossed the ball and maintained possession so well and forced Lamar to chase for long periods of the game.” Coach Hudson said.

“I think the only disappointing thing really was just the goal that we gave away. I’m just really proud of the players and I thought it was a really professional performance from start to finish,” Hudson continued.

Although they did allow Lamar to answer their second-half goal, the Tigers regained control until the end. By the time the clock ran out, they had 13 total shots on goal and the victory.

After their win tonight, the purple and gold will face Florida State, the reigning national champions, on Nov. 18.