Thursday night in Baton Rouge saw another Tiger vs. Tiger matchup under the lights of LSU Soccer Stadium.
Returning home after a 3-1 win over Auburn, LSU soccer headed into its next battle on a high. A staggering performance by the offense gave the team an edge to overcome Missouri 1-0.
Senior Sophine Kevorkian started in goal once again after a compelling performance at Auburn. With two saves on the night and zero goals allowed, Kevorkian succeeded in extending her streak of success inside the goal box.
Missing from the starting lineup were standout players such as Ava Galligan and Morgan Witz; however, the LSU offense didn’t falter and showed out early in the game.
The home Tigers were quick to apply pressure on Mizzou’s defense, spending a majority of the first half in its territory.
While preventing its competitors from having a single corner kick for the entirety of the first 45 minutes, LSU also outshot Mizzou 8-0 and displayed a significantly more composed performance compared to previous matchups.
LSU already received its second corner kick of the game at just five minutes in. This early scoring opportunity saw a header by junior Gabbi Ceballos attempt to place the ball in the back of the net. However, she was caught up in the play and suffered a nose injury, which resulted in a first-half exit for the midfielder.
A small offensive surge by Mizzou allowed lane passes to get past LSU, but the return of Ceballos seemed to get the Bengals back on track.
LSU had a more composed ball possession, and the addition of Galligan and Ryann Denecour in the middle of the half gave the Tigers more momentum.
LSU received another handful of corners and free kicks in the remaining 20 minutes of the half, but despite the Tigers’ assertiveness, a clean shot on target was never accomplished.
In the remaining minutes, LSU continued to apply pressure, but the inability to get the ball past Mizzou goalkeeper Kate Phillips resulted in both teams entering halftime scoreless.
Head coach Sian Hudson took halftime to keep the team’s offensive momentum alive.
“In the locker room at halftime, we just talked about having a little bit more of a killer instinct,” Hudson said. “We’ve got to ask more questions of the goalkeeper, put the ball in dangerous spaces.”
At the second half kickoff, LSU seemed to pick up right where it left off.
At just three minutes in, LSU received another corner kick, but a clean save by Mizzou managed to hold off the scoring chance once again.
The Tiger offense seemed to be slightly more cautious in taking shots on goal, opting to set up plays further in front of the goal or inside the penalty box.
As more opportunities presented themselves to get the ball past Phillips, the failure to do so by LSU resulted in increased back-and-forth play as Mizzou took the opportunities from a fatiguing home team.
LSU eventually seemed to get back on track, picking up the playmaking and getting more feet on the ball following another handful of substitutions.
In response, Mizzou increased offensive momentum, but a block by defender Sydney Cheesman helped to keep the Tigers alive as the clock entered the final 20 minutes.
The Tigers pushed to keep the ball on their opponent’s side of the field, and a foul on Mizzou’s Ava Lamothe was the turning point of the game.
During an LSU throw-in, sophomore Natalie Dvorakova received the ball and delivered a cross to Witz, who managed to head the ball into the back of Missouri’s net.
With a 1-0 lead over Missouri in the 73rd minute, the pressure only grew larger. The match became a dogfight under a clock that was quickly running down.
Both teams substituted in numerous players in an effort to keep energy high, and a yellow card given to LSU freshman Maud Ferrière for unsporting behavior after a foul gave confidence to the trailing Mizzou Tigers.
Their energy boost was short-lived when another heated comment between the match official and Missouri’s Hailey Chambliss resulted in a yellow card of their own.
The back-and-forth bout of ball possession continued into the final minutes of the game, but a final surge from the LSU offense secured the win.
In a successful yet hard-fought battle on the pitch, LSU earned a 1-0 victory to extend its conference record to 2-2-1.
“Didn’t create as many clear-cut opportunities as we might’ve liked, but [we] put a lot of balls in the box,” Hudson said. “No easy games in this conference, so I’m really happy with three points.”
The Tigers of Baton Rouge will continue their conference expedition on Sunday, where they’ll meet the Bulldogs in Athens, Georgia, at Turner Soccer Complex.
