KNOXVILLE, Tenn. ? The LSU soccer team saw its overall six-game unbeaten streak and four-game unbeaten streak in SEC play snapped Friday as it fell to the 14th-ranked Tennessee Lady Volunteers by the score of 2-1 at the Regal Soccer Stadium.
The Tigers are now 7-5-2 on the season and fall to 2-1-2 in SEC play, while the Lady Volunteers improve to 6-3-3 overall and 2-1-2 in conference action.
LSU head coach Brian Lee said full credit goes to Tennessee for winning such an important game in the race for the overall SEC title.
“You have to give credit to Tennessee for winning a game of this magnitude,” Lee said. “They’re one of the best teams in the nation and have proven that by the way they have played to this point in the season. They had two goalkeepers go down tonight and still kept fighting until the very end. They’re a great team.”
Freshman Rachel Yepez put the Tigers on top 1-0 early in the match with her fourth goal of the season as she took a feed from sophomore Roslyn Jones and beat a Tennessee defender inside the penalty box before finishing with a shot inside the far post in the 15th minute. Fellow freshman Brittany Lowe was also credited with an assist on the goal.
Junior Emily Redberg scored the equalizer for the Lady Volunteers at the 26:25 mark of the first half by curling a shot that hit the far post and bounced into the back of the net from 23 yards out on the right wing after taking a pass from senior Ali Cristoph. Redberg is now tied for the team lead with four goals on the season.
Junior Jordan Falcusan scored the game-winner for the Lady Vols in the 70th minute with her first career goal on a play that was set up by a throw-in from sophomore Sarah Van Sickle that carried deep inside the penalty box.
Senior Kristen Doukakis gathered the loose ball in the box and passed it to Falcusan who ripped a shot from inside the six-yard box.
The Tigers finished the match with seven total shots and five shots on goal, while the Lady Volunteers held the advantage on the offensive end by attempting a total of 20 shots with seven shots on goal and three corner kicks. Nine fouls were called on each team in a match that was clean from the start.
“We look forward to getting back on the field and improving from what we showed here tonight,” Lee said. “Every game in the SEC is going to be a dogfight from here on out, and we need to be prepared to compete for 90 minutes every time we step onto the field. We have another chance to do that on Sunday.”
The Tigers return to action Sunday at 1 p.m. CDT as they wrap up their four-game SEC road trip against Georgia at the Turner Soccer Complex in Athens. They return home next weekend as they welcome Auburn and Alabama to the LSU Soccer Complex in matches scheduled for Friday at 7 p.m. and Sunday at 1 p.m., respectively.