Purple and Gold vs. Crimson and White is an athletic tale as old as time, no matter if the matchup is played on a field of grass, a floor of hardwood or wherever the tailgates are being held that day.
On Thursday night, another page was written in the rivalry’s book, as Alabama defeated LSU soccer 2-1 in Baton Rouge, topped off by an 83rd-minute goal from Alabama’s Nadia Ramadan.
“[We’ve] just got to show a little bit more of a cutthroat mentality in the SEC if you want to win games in this conference,” said LSU head coach Sian Hudson.
The game did not start well for either team, so let’s go back to the beginning.
As the match kicked off, something was out of place. LSU’s leading goal scorer, Ava Galligan, did not start the game for the Tigers and was seen with a brace on her left knee.
Without Galligan in the starting lineup, the rest of the team stepped up in her short-lived absence.
Galligan joined the fun in the 19th minute, and throughout the match, she provided three shots, with one on goal, and centered multiple balls for her fellow forwards, even though they were unable to finish in the box.
The Crimson Tide forced LSU to stay on the defensive during most of the first half.
The patient Alabama offense couldn’t penetrate and capitalize on LSU’s final line of defense until the 42nd minute when Nadia Ramadan’s corner kick went off of LSU goalkeeper Audur Scheving’s hands, hitting the crossbar and into the goal.
Halftime held the score 1-0 in favor of Alabama.
“The message was just ‘get it back’ … We still had 45 minutes to get that goal,” said freshman forward Sariyah Bailey.
The second half picked up where the first left off, featuring frustrating offensive sequences for LSU. A 58th-minute scoring opportunity was killed by an offside call against LSU.
Questionable offside calls against the Tigers frustrated the team and fans alike during the entire game. Towards the end, the LSU bench could clearly be heard from even the furthest point in the stadium, as unrest built for the SEC officiating crew.
Bailey quelled the turmoil with a game-tying, 25-yard snipe that ricocheted off the crossbar for her second goal of the season, and first in front of the home crowd.
Her support was visible and audible throughout the game, as family and friends from her home country of Canada wore matching shirts with her name and number on them in the stands. As soon as Hudson finished her post-game talk with the team, Bailey went over to see her fan club.
“Without them, I wouldn’t have been here,” Bailey said. “They’ve supported me through everything. They’re my motivation. Them being here, you know, that’s what got my goal.”
Bailey’s energy and confidence were evident throughout the game, especially as LSU was trying to break the 1-1 tie and take the lead.
While Alabama had trouble getting through LSU’s last defensive line, LSU struggled to even get that far with some of their possessions, as the Tigers were unable to maintain possession long enough to set up a play.
LSU was bailed out by many Alabama fouls after Bailey’s tying goal, but could not complete the task.
“We had four or five big chances in the second half to win the game,” Hudson said.
While LSU could not capitalize on close calls in enemy territory, Alabama did just that.
In the 83rd minute, Alabama’s Gianna Paul brought the ball down to the left side of the field and centered it when an LSU defender headed it away. It slipped through to Nadia Ramadan, who took the shot attempt.
After hitting LSU defender Sydney Cheesman’s leg, the ball squeezed out to the left side of Scheving, who did not have enough time to react.
Alabama took the lead.
A desperate seven minutes followed, starring an LSU corner kick that came just a foot or two away from crossing the goal line with a minute and a half left.
The final seconds ticked away with the ball in no man’s land. Alabama had defeated LSU.
The Tigers move to 5-4-1 (0-1-1) on the season and receive zero points in the SEC standings from the match.
LSU’s next match will take place on Sunday in Knoxville against the No. 5 Volunteers of Tennessee.
“Tennessee is going to be a massive test on Sunday … but I think [we are] a team that responds well, we’ve seen it three times this season,” Hudson said. “The big lesson coming out of tonight is we’ve got to play in the first half consistently.”
LSU still has eight SEC games left on its schedule, so there is plenty of time to improve and move up the standings.
After Tennessee, LSU travels to Auburn on Sept. 25 and will be back at home on Oct. 2 to face the Tigers of Missouri.
