After a tumultuous ending to the first round Tiger vs. Tiger matchup, LSU prevailed over Auburn to advance to the SEC Tournament quarterfinals.
Extending its seven-game unbeaten streak to eight, it is now preparing for a Tuesday night showdown against the No. 4-seeded Tennessee Lady Vols in an attempt to push through to the semifinals.
This will be no easy matchup for the Tigers. With an overall record of 12-2-3 on the season, Tennessee has proven to be a worthy contender for the championship.
The orange-and-white team was the last to defeat the Tigers, winning 2-1 in Knoxville.
Since that loss to Tennessee six weeks ago, LSU has transformed into a completely different team.
With a sharper, faster and more cohesive offense, the Tigers revamped their attack and picked up 17 points in their last seven regular-season outings. They found the back of the net 18 times and fired off 91 shots, with almost half being on goal. The offensive rhythm came alive in time for the postseason, and the results have clearly followed.
Tennessee, however, hasn’t exactly slowed down. Staying steady since their win over the Tigers, the Lady Vols have tallied 14 points with eight goals and 96 shots to finish their regular season.
Each team’s strength takes a different shape. LSU leans on a stellar backline that has collected 56 saves on the season compared to Tennessee’s 44.
Paired with the tandem force of Sophine Kevorkian and Audur Scheving, the Tigers’ reliable goalkeepers have been able to seamlessly split time between the posts with save percentages of .727 and .767, respectively.
Combining for a goals-against average under 1.10, their shared stability played a large part in the Tigers’ recent unbeaten stretch.
As Tennessee’s starter in all ten regular season conference matchups, goalkeeper Caydin Norris has boasted an impressive .854 save percentage and a goals-against average of .45. Her standout performances have consistently made up for a tested Tennessee backline, and she’s proven to be one of the top keepers in the conference when shutting games down.
For LSU, the biggest battle will be upholding consistency throughout the match. As flashes of complacency were a struggle that the Tigers faced early in the season, playing with more discipline will be key in Tuesday’s matchup.
Maintaining an even-paced tempo from the first whistle to the final horn is what LSU will look to do in order to accomplish a clean game where defensive effort matches offensive sparks.
LSU will have to find a way to lay pressure on the Lady Vols’ backline. Playing a quiet game, as it did against Auburn in the second half, could give Tennessee the leeway to keep the ball in dangerous areas and test the Tigers’ goalkeeping.
With both sides physical, aggressive, and built around end-of-season momentum, the meeting is less a rematch and more a chance for LSU to make a statement as a renewed team in the postseason.
