As a storm set over Baton Rouge on Sunday evening, LSU soccer kicked off under another set of clouds in Athens, Georgia, to compete against the Bulldogs at Turner Soccer Complex.
With rain showers occurring over Athens just hours before kickoff, both teams prepared themselves for a physical contest. The slippery conditions would provide both an uncontrolled and faster-moving ball, waiting to be capitalized on through penalty box crashes and risky shots on goal.
Starting in front of the net for LSU was Audur Scheving, who was looking to earn both her first conference win.
Against Georgia’s freshman goalkeeper, Scheving put up a sufficient performance in order to hold off the Bulldogs in a 1-1 draw, but the true test of the match was between defenses.
The Tigers worked to set up multiple scoring chances, seemingly carrying the momentum from their previous two matchups into tonight and setting the tone of the game early with the majority of possession in Georgia’s zone.
Even so, both teams struggled to get a real look on goal when given the chance, hindering the ability to put up shots on target during the first 15 minutes of the half.
The first corner kick of the game came off a close goal by LSU’s Ava Galligan, but a defensive header was quick to steer the ball away.
Soon after, a foul by Jazmin Ferguson awarded Georgia a free kick, but in quick retaliation, the ever-improving LSU offense was consistently applying pressure from the start of the match.
As rainfall ensued on the pitch, the Tigers used the opportunity for more rushes downfield, but Georgia’s defense was successful in stopping them every time.
It was clear that this would be a game of patience and composure behind the ball.
Nearing the end of the half, the Bulldogs finally gave a pugnacious effort to score against the substantial Tiger backline.
Kelsey Major blocked a close shot on goal for Georgia, but the Bulldogs continued to keep the ball in LSU territory.
As the clock ticked closer to halftime, Georgia looked for more shots on the net, with one close ball missing just inches above the crossbar and another just outside the left post.
A composed Scheving kept the ball away from the net as LSU continued to battle through to the end of the half. Both teams headed into a scoreless and rainy halftime.
Continuing the battle in a somewhat drier second half, LSU and Georgia seemed to have sights set on a more aggressive battle than the tamer first half.
An early yellow card called on Bulldog’s Maddy Herniter didn’t seem to faze the aggressive Athens team, and the Tigers worked towards establishing early control again.
By exploiting the wet conditions and the Bulldogs’ failed passes, LSU seized the ball and created a few quality chances in the first 15 minutes, but ultimately failed to score.
Near the 65th minute, there was a noticeable frustration from the Bulldogs beginning to form. Even with an aggressive attack on the Tigers, LSU made it difficult for Georgia to gain possession.
Managing to see one of the best looks on goal was freshman Sariyah Bailey, who took a cross shot just off target as the rain returned.
A Georgia goal kick led to a quick attack into LSU territory with just 15 minutes left in the game. A shot off the left foot of Georgia’s Kiera Staude saw the back of the net to put the home team on the scoreboard.
As play continued, a potential equalizer was crossed in by Makenna Dominguez to Galligan but was rapidly stopped by Georgia’s goalkeeper.
The true turning point came in the last 12 minutes of play. Hermannsdottir was tripped, resulting in a double yellow for Maddy Herniter, which ejected her from the game and forced the Bulldogs to finish the match down a player.
Maintaining possession after the call, LSU set up a series of headers inside the penalty box. One of Georgia’s own accidentally tipped it in the goal and gave the Tigers a point to tie the game at 1-1.
With only 10 minutes left to try and secure a win, LSU put up a hard-fought battle to the end. High tensions saw junior Gabbi Ceballos receive a yellow card for unsporting behavior, and it didn’t seem to calm either team.
A back-and-forth bout led to very limited shots on goal during the last five minutes. Despite receiving two corner kicks in the final minutes, the Tigers closed out the matchup against the ranked team in a draw.
It’s not a win for LSU’s conference record, but the large presence of both the offense and defense for the Tigers is what truly mattered.
With continued consistency starting to show throughout the full 90 minutes, the Tigers will head into the final games of SEC play confident in their ability to compete against remaining challengers.
LSU will face the Aggies of Texas A&M next on Friday, Oct. 10, in Baton Rouge, looking to go 3-2-2.
