ANNAPOLIS, Md. — Villanova forward Erin Byrnes scored 32 seconds into the second overtime period and the LSU soccer team fell to the regionally-ranked Wildcats by the score of 1-0 on Sunday at the Glenn Warner Soccer Facility.
The Tigers fall to 3-3 on the season and dropped their first ever match to the Wildcats (7-0), who entered the day ranked No. 6 in the Mid-Atlantic region according to Soccer Buzz Magazine.
“We had our chances to win in the first overtime,” said LSU head coach Brian Lee. “We had two or three clear, quality chances that we’re happy we’re creating, but in a high-level game you’re going to have to finish those chances in order to win. Villanova is a mature team and they took their first chance and took it well.”
LSU had a pair of chances to put the game away in the first overtime period as freshmen Rachel Yepez and Michelle Makasini each missed far post on shots with the Villanova goalkeeper out of position. Yepez, who finished with a team-high four shots, missed an empty net with the keeper out to challenge just 2:42 into the period, while Makasini ripped a shot wide from the top of the box with 33 seconds remaining.
The Tigers finished with nine total shots but were unable to put any on frame as they did not attempt a shot on goal while having four corner kicks. The Wildcats attempted 15 shots with four shots on goal and two corner kicks in the match.
LSU returns to action Wednesday at 7 p.m. when they take on eighth-ranked Texas at the LSU Soccer Complex. The Tigers and Longhorns last met in the 2003 season with No. 11 Texas winning a 4-3 overtime thriller in Austin.
“Texas is a huge game for us at home,” Lee said. “We feel like it’s a game we really need to win in the big picture against a very good opponent. They’re coming off big wins against highly-ranked opponents like Penn State and Illinois, so we’ll see what happens Wednesday night.”