FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — The LSU soccer team fell in overtime to the Arkansas LadyBacks, 6-5, on Friday, as Arkansas’ Jennifer Brashear scored both the tying and game-winning goals on a soggy Lady ?Back Field here in Fayetteville, Ark.
“This was a very tough loss for us today,” said LSU head coach George Fotopoulos. “We played extremely hard out there today, but we just couldn’t hang on. Even though we lost, I have to give a lot of credit to the way our team fought to come back from an early 2-0 deficit.”
With flashes of lightening illuminating the sky in the distance, Arkansas’ Jennifer Brashear slammed home a left-footed shot into the lower-left corner of the goal to give the Lady ?Backs a 6-5 overtime victory over the Tigers.
The Tigers fell to an overall record of 7-7-3 on the season and LSU dropped its final conference mark to 1-6-2 with the loss. Arkansas improved to a 6-13 overall record on the year and ended its Southeastern Conference schedule with a mark of 2-7.
Arkansas jumped out to a quick 2-0 lead in Friday’s Southeastern Conference battle as the Lady ?Backs’ Julie Williford notched her 12th and 13th goals of the season less than 10 minutes into the match.
At the 2:12 point in the contest, Williford gave Arkansas an early lead as she snaked the game’s opening shot into the lower-left corner of the net past LSU’s Bonnie Otillio. The goal was unassisted and accounted for Williford’s 12th of the 2001 campaign.
Shortly after the Lady ?Backs’ first goal, Williford recorded her second score of the first half at the 8:48 mark in the game. Arkansas’ sophomore from North Little Rock, Ark., became the Lady ?Backs’ first 13-goal scorer since 1997 as she gathered a pass from Mandy Komar and slammed home a shot from 10-yards out.
The Tigers got on the scoreboard at the 31:38 point in the contest as freshman Artie Brown earned her eighth goal of the season on a pinpoint shot into the corner. On the play, Jennifer Craig recorded her first assist of the year and Brown became the first freshman in LSU history to score eight goals in a season. She passed teammate Rachel Cohen’s mark of seven goals during the 2000 campaign.
LSU’s jubilation was short lived as the LadyBacks’ scored its third goal at the 33:32 point in the game. Williford continued her first-half success with a 10-yard shot into the lower-left hand corner of the net. With the goal, Williford earned her third goal of the game and her 14th of the season. She also accumulated her third hat trick of the season on the play.
Despite trailing in the game, 3-1, the Tigers fought back at the end of the first half and exploded for three goals in the final 11 minutes of the period.
Mitnick, LSU’s junior captain, opened up the late first-half scoring barrage with a goal at 34:44 on a direct kick. The 20-yard shot was caught by Arkansas’ keeper, but the head official ruled that she handled the ball behind the goal line. The score was Mitnick’s third of the season and accounted for her 11th and 12th points of the year.
The Tigers’ Melissa Shelton knotted the game at 3-3 with 5:29 remaining in the first half as she earned her first goal of the season. LSU’s junior from Mandeville, La., gathered a beautiful pass from Cohen and lifted it top shelf passed the Lady ?Backs’ goaltender. Cohen earned her fifth assist of the season on the play.
With only 2:45 left in the opening half of game, Cohen gave the Tigers their first lead in a match since Oct. 14, when LSU and South Carolina fought to a 4-4 draw. Cohen tapped in her fourth goal of the season on the play and freshman Stacie McDougall garnered her first assist. Arkansas’ Williford added her fourth goal of the SEC shootout at the 51:19 mark in the game. The four-goal outing was her second of the season. Williford also notched four goals in Arkansas’ 6-1 victory over Texas Tech.
With 12:20 remaining in regulation, the Tigers’ Mitnick scored the game’s ninth goal on a direct kick into the upper-right hand corner of the net from 15 yards out. The score gave LSU a 5-4 lead and was Mitnick’s second of the contest. The direct kick was forced by a foul on Brown as led a penetrated drive to the box.
At the 84:17 mark in the game, Arkansas’ Brashear headed a Collins corner kick into the right-hand portion of the net and tied the game at 5-5. Brashear’s second goal of the season sent the SEC match into overtime. The LSU soccer team will complete its 2001 season on Sunday, as the Tigers remain on the road and head to Austin, Texas, for a non-conference duel versus the seventh-ranked Texas Longhorns.
Arkansas (6-13, 2-7) def. LSU (7-7-3, 1-6-2) 6-5.
LSU 4 1 0 – 5
Arkansas 3 2 1 – 6
Scoring: Arkansas, Williford 2:12 (unassisted), Williford 8:47 (assist Komar), Williford 33:32 (assist Komar), Williford 51:19 (assist Collins), Brashear 84:17 (assist Collins), Brashear 100:36); LSU, Brown 31:38 (assist Craig), Mitnick 34:44 (direct kick), Shelton 39:31 (assist Cohen), Cohen 42:15 (assist McDougall), Mitnick 77:40 (direct kick).
Yellow Cards: LSU, Agar 40:00; Arkansas, Bedient 76:50.