In front of a crowd of 2,004 fans, the LSU soccer team (7-1-2, 2-0-0 SEC) completed the late comeback to grab a 2-1 win over the Missouri Tigers (4-4-1, 1-1-0 SEC) on Thursday night at the LSU Soccer Stadium.
Missouri struck first in the 35th minute as Kylie Dobbs slotted home a goal in the 35th minute to give the visiting team a 1-0 lead.
Midfielder Raelyn Prince equalized in the 75th minute as she converted a cross sent in from forward Taylor Dobles before captain Lindsi Jennings found the winner in the 86th minute as she nodded home a header from five yards out.
Box Score
“We’re thrilled to get a win out of that game,” head coach Sian Hudson said. “Missouri came here with a very good gameplay by packing five in midfield and eliminating our central options and it showed in our first half. We made some changes at halftime and came out and were able to shift the game in the second half. We’re proud of the team for coming from behind to get the win. There’s no easy wins in the SEC and tonight was a huge test for our team.”
In a battle of the Tigers, it was Missouri who opened the match well and with attacking intent. Missouri’s Hannah Boughton had the first shot on frame just 46 seconds in, but was calmly collected by LSU goalkeeper Bella Zanotelli. Zanotelli also made saves in the 17th and 25th minutes to keep the scoreline even at 0-0.
LSU had attacking moments of their own in the first half. Defender Rammie Noel had the Tigers’ first shot on frame in the 19th minute as her shot on goal from 15 yards out was collected by Missouri goalkeeper Bella Hollenbach. The Tigers had a strong breakaway chance in the 25th minute as midfielder Ida Hermannsdottir and forward Mollie Baker linked up on a counterattack. Baker took the ball into the box and squared a back pass to Hermannsdottir, but the Icelandic international was unable to get a powerful shot off and her effort was saved by the goalkeeper.
Missouri found the first goal of the match in the 35th minute. The visiting Tigers took a free kick and sent a cross into the box. The ball fell loose on the right side and was found by Jenna Bartels, who sent a pass into the middle of the box to find Dobbs. Dobbs slotted the ball home from eight yards out and gave Missouri a 1-0 lead on the night.
Zanotelli picked up one more save in the 42nd minute and that was all for the first half. Zanotelli finished the first half with four saves and the match went into the break 1-0 in favor of the visiting team.
The second half was a back-and-forth affair with neither team able to grab control of the match. LSU had a big chance in the 64th minute as forward Alesia Garcia received a ball inside the box, cut outside to beat a defender and sent a shot that narrowly skid above the crossbar.
LSU never dropped their intensity and were rewarded as they found the equalizer in the 75th minute. Forward Angelina Thoreson laid off a pass to Dobles, who hit a first-time cross into the box and found Prince. Prince timed her run well and sent a strong shot on frame that deflected off a Missouri defender and into the back of the net. The goal tied the match at 1-1 and was Prince’s second goal of the season. Dobles had her first assist of the season while Thoreson collected her team-high fifth of the year.
The goal was an adrenaline shot for LSU and they continued to attack the goal to find a game-winner. Defender Shannon Cooke rose above the Missouri defense in the 78th minute on a corner, but her header narrowly went wide-right of the goal. Baker tested the goalkeeper later in the 85th minute as her shot from 12 yards out was pushed onto the bar by Hollenbach and went out for a corner.
The winner for LSU came seconds later. Following the initial cross into the box on the corner, Baker took possession of the ball on the right side of the box. She cut inside on her left foot and lofted a cross to the back post and found Jennings, who headed the ball past the goalkeeper and into the back of the net. The goal gave LSU a 2-1 lead and Jennings had her second goal in as many games. Baker’s vital assist was her second of the season.
Missouri was not able to find an answer and the match finished 2-1 in favor of the home team. In the shot battle, it was Missouri who won by a slim margin of 13 to LSU’s 12. The shots on goal contest was an even 5-5 between both teams. In possession, it was LSU who had more by a margin of 53% to Missouri’s 47%. It was a tale of two halves as LSU recovered from a slow start and finished strong to secure their second SEC win of the year.
Up Next
LSU hits the road to take on Mississippi State in Starkville at 6:30 p.m. CT on Sunday, September 25.
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