As LSU soccer made its seventh consecutive return to Pensacola under head coach Sian Hudson, it prepared themselves for a first-round rematch against the Tigers of Auburn.
In this year’s regular-season matchup, LSU had battled to finish on top of a 3-1 scoreline.
Tonight was the same story, and just like they did in their previous two matchups, the Baton Rouge Tigers upped their record over Auburn with a 3-2 win on Sunday night. They’ll advance to the quarterfinals, where the team fell to Texas last year.
The last half of the regular season was electric, but tonight’s matchup was even more intense. Turning up defensive intensity seemed to be what carried the Louisiana Tigers to victory.
Auburn entered the match determined to upset LSU in order to fight for a chance at the quarterfinals. The stands were electric, and once kickoff arrived, the Bayou Bengals took early ball control.
A drive on Auburn’s goal in just the first three minutes set the tone for the LSU Tigers, and they were quickly rewarded with an early corner kick.
Despite LSU’s strong set-piece play all season, Auburn goalkeeper Ayana Yapo denied a header with quick hands.
LSU’s momentum didn’t drop; in fact, physicality intensified. The purple and gold kept applying pressure, but still remained quiet in shot attempts.
A foul by Auburn’s Gracie Brown awarded the Tigers a free kick in front of Auburn’s 18-yard box.
Sending in the shot was Jocelyn Ollivierre, who managed to find the head of Jazmin Ferguson. The ball then made its way off Galligan, securing her ninth goal of the season.
The game pace quickened. Auburn, sending in frequent attacks, outshot LSU 9-2 in the opening half.
In front of the net for LSU was Sophine Kevorkian, who tallied six saves on the night and remains unbeaten in conference play this season.
As Auburn continued pressure, Kevorkian and the Bengal backline held firm throughout the first 45 minutes.
The game progressed, and it was clear the Bengals were fighting a complacent mentality, shifting to a more defensive approach by the 15th minute.
With key saves by Ollivierre and Hermannsdóttir, LSU shut down multiple set-piece chances for Auburn, but still only had one shot on goal.
After a couple of LSU fouls kept the ball in its opponent’s possession, a surge by the Bengal’s offense was finally able to put the ball deep in Auburn territory.
Searching for a play to put a meaningful shot on goal, the ball found its way to the feet of Morgan Witz following a pass from Gabbi Ceballos.
Evading defender traffic, Witz shot from outside the 18-yard box, which managed to hang just above Yapo’s reach, extending the Tiger lead to 2-0 in the 26th minute.
The momentum for LSU continued to grow as it inched closer to halftime. Following a yellow card on Auburn’s Erin Flurey, slightly more cautious play ensued by the blue and orange Tigers’ leading goal scorer.
After end-to-end action, LSU went into halftime leading 2-0.
As the second half took place, pressure was at an all-time high for Auburn. Sitting at 5-5-2, the team was in desperate need to apply early pressure and close the score gap.
Play resumed at full speed. Auburn immediately won a corner kick off a deflected shot, but failed to capitalize on three set-piece chances before turning possession over to LSU.
Freshman Sariyah Bailey surged through the Auburn defense and got the ball deep downfield.
In a close scoring chance, Yapo made a huge save through heavy traffic inside the box, keeping her team’s hopes alive.
Both teams probed for chances, and a shot by Flurey earned another corner kick after a deflected save.
Perfectly placing the ball, Flurey’s kick found Dylan Driver, who managed to tip the ball into the back of LSU’s net and narrow the gap to 2-1.
10 minutes after Auburn’s goal, LSU’s Ava Amsden launched a drive. Freshman Gadea Blanco Gonzáles received the pass from Amsden, chipping it past Yapo to restore their two-goal lead.
Both teams made several late substitutions to try to close out the game in their favor. Amid the action, Auburn launched a shot that dropped in front of LSU’s net.
With a fumble on the save by Kevorkian, Auburn’s Shelby Sallee capitalized on the mistake with a rush on the net to tap the ball in and cut down the score deficit once again.
With new intensity, the Baton Rouge Tigers turned up the defensive urgency to close out the game with a win.
With under two minutes left, Auburn won three back-to-back corners in LSU’s half.
On the third kick with just 14 seconds left on the clock, Auburn had one last Hail Mary attempt at a draw. The team was unable to get the ball into the back of the net, falling 3-2 to LSU.
With the win, LSU is now 7-0 when leading at halftime. The team advances to the quarterfinals to face the Tennessee Volunteers on Tuesday night.
Having not lost in eight games since its defeat to Tennessee, the Tigers aim to upset the fourth-seeded Vols for a chance at their first semifinal appearance since 2020.
