Four games into the season, the 2-2 Tigers led an unassuming campaign. The next match changed the trajectory of their magical season.
On Aug. 28, LSU soccer welcomed the 21st-ranked Wisconsin Badgers to town. The match went into the final minute scoreless until freshman Sariyah Bailey delivered a pass to forward Ava Galligan, who headed the winning goal into the net.
It was LSU’s first win at home against a ranked opponent in almost four years.
Over the next month, the team lost three games, each by a single goal, but the Fighting Tigers’ mentality was set. LSU went unbeaten for the following two months.
“This is a team that I think has set a whole new standard for LSU soccer,” head coach Sian Hudson said after winning the regular season finale against Florida.
The standard was set higher in the postseason. For the third time ever, the Tigers made the SEC championship. They faced off against Vanderbilt after tying earlier in the year, but lost at the end of 10 gut-wrenching rounds of penalty kicks.
Two weeks later, LSU made it farther than ever in the NCAA Tournament, advancing to the Sweet 16 for the first time in program history. Once again, the team faced Vanderbilt in a high-stakes matchup.
That game was the last of LSU’s season, but its postseason run grabbed the attention of many. The last two tournament games were previewed with hype videos on social media narrated by LSU legends Odell Beckham Jr. and Kim Mulkey.
LSU’s powerful offense captivated the nation. LSU scored more goals this year than any other team in the SEC, netting 52 and averaging two per game. The scoring was led by Galligan, a junior who owns six game-winning goals on the season.
She earned All-SEC First Team honors in 2025 and scored 11 total goals, more than any other Tiger. It’s also the most any LSU player has scored since Jorian Baucom’s 15 goals ten years ago. Galligan’s selfless leadership guided the team on and off the field.
“This is her best season in terms of goal production, but I also think it’s a season where she’s really developed leadership capabilities,” Hudson said.
One new player Galligan helped mentor was the one who assisted her winning goal against Wisconsin.
Bailey made an instant impact as a freshman. Her high-energy play stuck out on both sides of the ball, but primarily on offense. The young phenom scored nine goals, the most by a freshman since fellow Canadian Summer Clarke scored 10 in 2013.
Though not the leading scorer, senior Ida Hermannsdottir ended her illustrious career at LSU in high fashion. While playing almost 2,000 minutes, her 10-goal year brought her to a career total of 29. She also finished 9-of-11 on penalty kicks.
Her senior class anchored down the defensive end of the field. Veterans Sydney Cheesman, Jazmin Ferguson and Jocelyn Ollivierre all played their final season at the top of their game.
In the Sweet 16, Cheesman played her best game of the year, preventing many shots that would’ve blown the game open.
Ferguson was a hard-nosed defender all year. She led the team’s back end, playing physically and putting her body on the line. Against Vanderbilt, she played all 90 minutes in her final game in the purple and gold.
Ollivierre’s senior season saw her back up Cheesman and Ferguson as the brick wall in front of LSU’s pair of clutch goalkeepers.
Sophine Kevorkian and Audur Scheving played well all year, as the goalkeepers allowed 26 goals in 25 games. They combined for six shutouts on the year.
Kevorkian is a senior and has finished her LSU career after two years with the Tigers, but Scheving has one more year of eligibility.
