The LSU soccer team lost to the No. 4 Alabama Crimson Tide by a score of 5-0 in a game where the Crimson Tide was better in every facet of the game
The Crimson Tide struck first in the 21st minute when Kate Henderson fired a shot in the back of the net. Gianna Paul found the back of the net 11 minutes later to take a 2-0 advantage going to the half. Alabama’s second half goals were scored by Felecia Knox, Reyna Reyes and Riley Mattingly-Parker.
“Obviously disappointed in the outcome, but all credit to Alabama. They are a fantastic team. To come here on the road and score five goals against us, and potentially more, I want to give them a pat on the back,” LSU Head Coach Sian Hudson said. “I thought we were the better team early in the game. Ida had a great chance in the first 30 seconds, but the goalkeeper made a great save, and then we scored a goal that got called back.”
LSU played with great pace early in the match. Just 25 seconds into the game, midfielder Ida Hermannsdottir had a shot on goal, but Hermannsdottir didn’t get enough on the ball, and it was saved by Alabama goalkeeper McKinley Crone. The Tigers seemingly scored on a header by midfielder Wasila Diwura-Soale in the 10th minute, but it was called back due to offsides.
Alabama scored its first goal in the 21st minute when Henderson pressured LSU goalkeeper Mollee Swift into making a heavy touch in her box and capitalized off of Swift’s mistake to poke the ball into the goal. The Crimson Tide doubled their lead when freshman forward Gianna Paul knocked a cross into the back of the net in the 32nd minute.
Swift finished the first half with four saves, which included an outstanding aerial catch that looked like a for sure goal in the 31st minute. Alabama led LSU 2-0 going into halftime.
The Crimson Tide extended their lead to 3-0 seven minutes into the second half. Knox, who is the nation’s assist leader, took a direct free-kick from just outside the box and sent a powerful shot on goal that took a friendly deflection off an LSU player and rolled into the bottom-right corner.
The refs gave a penalty kick to Alabama in the 68th minute when defender Shannon Cooke brought down an Alabama attacker in the box. Reyes stepped up to the spot and slotted the ball with confidence into the bottom-right corner of the goal to give the Crimson Tide a commanding 4-0 lead with just over 20 minutes left in the game.
A minute after Reyes’ goal, Mattingly-Parker took the ball away from an LSU defender in the box, took a touch and ripped a beautiful curling shot from 15 yards out into the top-right corner of the net to score the final goal of the match. Mattingly-Parker’s goal extended the Crimson Tide’s lead to 5-0 and the Crimson Tide completed a shutout in Baton Rouge to remain undefeated in SEC play.
LSU’s loss to Alabama is the largest loss under Hudson. The last time LSU lost by this wide of a margin was in 2019 where the Tigers lost at Duke 6-0, the year before Hudson was hired as LSU’s coach.
“We just have to look forward at this point,” Hudson said. “We are not going to dwell on this loss. It’s been a great season for us so far and there’s been a lot of fight in us. I think we lacked a little bit of that in the second half today, but all credit to them.”
The Tigers will look to rebound when they travel to Knoxville, Tennessee to face the No. 19 Tennessee Lady Vols at 6 p.m. CT on Friday, Oct. 14.