LSU soccer traveled to Rocky Top, chasing its first conference victory, on Sunday afternoon.
After looking to shake off a tough loss against Alabama, the Tigers took another against the Lady Vols, walking away on the wrong side of a 2-1 scoreline.
The team seemed to stay on trend with past performances, showing a weaker offense in the first half and the inability to keep full-game consistency. Despite this, LSU fought hard against the nationally fifth-ranked team.
From the first whistle, the Tigers looked intent on controlling the ball but were quickly met by limited possession due to an aggressive Tennessee offense.
Playmaking by forwards Ava Galligan and Morgan Witz offered scoring chances to shift team momentum, but the ball never met the back of the net throughout the first 45 minutes.
What was missing offensively for the team was made up for at the backline.
Defender Jazmin Ferguson delivered one of her strongest performances of the season, cutting off two passing lanes and using a crucial header to redirect a shot made by the Lady Vols.
LSU goalkeeper Audur Scheving collected a string of saves to anchor the Tiger backline. Diving for the ball on three separate occasions and making a key stop in the 27th minute, the Lady Vols were only finally able to break through Scheving with just 13 minutes left in the half.
Tennessee forward Leah Klurman unleashed an impressive strike well off the 18-yard box that was just out of reach for Scheving, and the Tigers were left trailing by one at halftime.
As the game moved into the second half, Tennessee wasted no time in regaining possession of the ball. The Lady Vols generated many threatening scoring opportunities, but a lack of precision prevented the ball from finding the back of the net.
The Tigers responded with urgency and strong momentum, led by senior Ida Hermannsdottir and freshman Sariyah Bailey. Reaching the 28th minute, Hermannsdottir had made two crucial shots on goal that tested Tennessee’s defense but missed just outside the goal posts.
Swiftly retaliating against the Tigers’ offensive pressure, Tennessee upped the score with a goal off a rebound by Kate Runyon in the 65th minute, moving the deficit to 2-0.
In the last 20 minutes, LSU raised the physicality in a desperate push to close the gap. After failing to capitalize on both a corner kick and tense moments in front of Tennessee’s goal, the Tigers received a lifeline following a foul by Lady Vol defender Ally Brown.
Taking the penalty kick was Hermansdottir, who successfully put the team on the board with her fourth goal of the season.
In the remaining minutes, LSU made a significant effort in trying to tie the game, setting up several late looks at the goal and nearly scoring on six separate occasions. An impressive performance by Tennessee keeper Cayden Norris held the team off.
As the clock ticked down to zero, the hopes of a comeback slipped away as LSU found themselves down 2-1 with the blow of the final whistle.
After a rocky start to SEC play, LSU now sits at a conference record of 0-2-1.
Moving its focus to a road test against the Auburn Tigers on Sept. 25, the team will look to improve its losing conference record before returning home for a matchup against Mizzou.
