Just when LSU soccer thought its season was over after a 0-0 draw with Texas A&M on Thursday, the Tigers ended up making the SEC Tournament by landing on top of a three-way tie with Ole Miss and Vanderbilt.
As the clock hit zero, players collapsed to their knees in raw emotion. Many Tiger players headed straight to their families postgame, with nobody in the stands expecting what was about to unfold.
Around 30 minutes after the game ended, it was announced that LSU clinched the 10th and final spot in the tournament. Players ran up and down the field in pure joy, and what were tears of sorrow moments before quickly turned to tears of joy.
The night started with a celebration for LSU’s eight seniors and ended with ecstatic excitement, knowing these players are guaranteed at least one more game.
“I’ve never really seen the league be this close,” head coach Sian Hudson said. “We’re just fortunate that we’re in. We didn’t take care of business last Sunday against Auburn, so we put ourselves in a position tonight to fight to the death. It’s great to be going to the beach tomorrow and keep our season alive.”
Hudson said the team was told at the 25-minute mark they needed a win to get into the tournament. That ended up not being the case.
LSU had never defeated Texas A&M with a 0-12-2 record against the Aggies. Texas A&M was again able to hold the Tigers off, but LSU spent the rest of its night celebrating.
In the first half, LSU opted for a more defensive approach, playing the possession game against the overly aggressive Aggies.
While LSU did drive up the field numerous times on offense, it was inaccurate with shots, with only one shot on target in the first half.
Texas A&M tested LSU physically. Throughout multiple Tiger possessions, an Aggie player was aggressive enough to fight and steal the ball back. Luckily for LSU, goalkeeper Mollee Swift stopped numerous potential A&M goals with four saves.
Swift was recently named to the 2023 SEC Community Service Team, the league announced on Wednesday. She consistently volunteers in the Baton Rouge community and has earned this honor three years in a row.
While the score was 0-0 at half, LSU came into the game stronger after the break. The Tigers controlled the game in the second half, applying most of the pressure.
Eventually, A&M’s defense cracked.
Forward Mollie Baker threaded her way through the defense in the 56th minute when she was tripped up in the box by Aggies’ forward Sam Smith. LSU was granted a penalty kick.
With a chance to give the Tigers the lead and advance to the SEC Tournament, Swift stepped up to the line and took the penalty kick. The shot went high and clanged off the top of the crossbar, a gut-check for the Tigers.
The penalty kick was crucial for Swift to make because LSU had few opportunities to score after. The A&M defense continued to dominate, but LSU would not give up trying until the final minute.
“I was really proud of the response of the players after that happened,” Hudson said. “We could have been really defeated in that moment and let our heads go down, but we didn’t and continued to play.”
The Tigers travel to Pensacola, Florida, to play the Kentucky Wildcats on Sunday in the first round of the 2023 SEC Tournament.
“I think this team, when it has the belief that we showed tonight, big things can happen, and we can make them happen,” Hudson said.
