NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Rachel Cohen scored a breakaway goal with less than three minutes remaining in regulation, as the LSU soccer team shocked highly touted Vanderbilt, 1-0, in Nashville on Sunday, clinching a spot in the upcoming Southeastern Conference Tournament.
With the win the Tigers improved to 14-5 overall on the season and finished league play with a 5-4 record, the first time since 1995 they finished with a winning record in league play.? The victory also snapped a 19-game losing streak for the Tigers against SEC Eastern Division teams dating back to a victory over South Carolina in 1995.
“I think this is just a tremendous win for this program,” said first-year LSU head coach George Fotopoulos. “It’s the accumulation of a lot of hard work. This is the biggest win in this program’s history and it is gives us tremendous confidence heading into the SEC Tournament.”
Vanderbilt (9-8 overall, 5-4 in SEC play) controlled the tempo of the match, out-shooting the Tigers 25-3 on the afternoon. Bonnie Otillio kept the Tigers in the match with nine saves to record her eighth shutout of the season.
“Bonnie did a fantastic job and really enabled us to have an opportunity to slip past them with a late goal,” Fotopoulos added.
With the match all but set for overtime, Cohen intercepted a pass and went in alone on a counter-attack breakaway and slid the ball under the Vanderbilt keeper in the 88th minute.
The win was LSU’s first against the perennial power. In four previous meetings the Tigers had been outscored by Vanderbilt a combined 21-0 prior to Sunday’s contest, including a 5-0 Commodore victory in Baton Rouge last season.
LSU now turns its attention toward the regular season finale and then the SEC Tournament. The Tigers wrap up the regular season on Wednesday evening when Tulane comes to the LSU Soccer Complex for a 7 p.m. match. The Tigers have lost three straight decisions to their in-state rivals.
The Tigers will then have next weekend off before heading to the SEC Tournament in Athens, Ga., from Nov. 2-5 against an opponent yet to be determined. It will mark only the third time that LSU has qualified for the SEC Tournament and the first time since 1998 when the Tigers were eliminated, ironically, by Vanderbilt, 3-0.
Scoring Summary
LSU – Cohen (87:13)
Shots: LSU 3, VU 25
Saves: LSU 9, VU 2
Corner Kicks: LSU 2, VU 9
Fouls: LSU 13, VU 13
Offsides: LSU 0, VU 1
Attendance: 185