In LSU’s loss Friday in College Station, Texas, the Tigers did something LSU coach Brian Lee said a team he’s coached has never done before — blow a two-goal lead.The No. 14 Tigers (14-4-2) did just that in the second half of their first round NCAA tournament match, losing to No. 22 Washington (16-4-1) 3-2 in overtime.”We always feel that 2-0 is a more dangerous score than 1-0,” Lee said. “Some complacency can set in, and you can feel like you have a more comfortable lead than you really have. I thought we had total control of the game when we went up, 2-0, and just relaxed.”The teams went into halftime with the score tied at zero, but LSU took the lead early in the second half.Junior midfielder Malorie Rutledge scored her ninth goal of the season in the 52nd minute of the contest when she received an assist from junior midfielder Melissa Clarke.Rutledge received the pass and then chipped the ball over Washington freshman keeper Kari Davidson to put LSU ahead, 1-0.Nearly seven minutes later, senior forward Roslyn Jones scored her ninth goal of the season as well.The Mandeville native gained possession of a loose ball in the box and put it past Davidson to extend LSU’s lead to 2-0 in the 58th minute of the match.Washington responded with its first goal in the 61st minute when freshman Kate Deines received an assist from sophomore forward McKenna Waitley and put the ball past LSU freshman keeper Mo Isom.”Washington went a little more direct about how they wanted to play,” Lee said. “They started playing with a sense of desperation.”Washington junior forward Veronica Perez scored the equalizer in the 83rd minute to knot the score at 2.Washington scored the game-winner early in overtime when senior midfielder Jenna Robinson scored her third goal of the season to end the game and the Tigers’ season.”It was a great effort by [Deines] to get the ball, or it wouldn’t have happened in the first place,” Robinson said in a news release. “The ball just kind of came out, and their defender was running straight at me, so I had to put a spin on it, and thank God I did because the goalie was going one way, and the ball went the other way.”Although the season ended on a sour note for the Tigers, LSU still finished with the best record in program history.The team’s three seniors — Jones, defender Casey Crawford and goalkeeper Jackie Moseley — ended their careers as the most successful senior class in school history.”They’re three great kids,” Lee said. “Really, they’re three of my favorite all-time players … They will certainly be missed, especially when you talk intangibles and what makes a good program.”—-Contact Johanathan Brooks at [email protected]