WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. — A pair of second-half goals from freshman Rachel Yepez and sophomore Roslyn Jones were enough to lead the LSU soccer team to a narrow 2-1 victory over ACC power Wake Forest on Friday at W. Dennie Spry Stadium.
The Tigers are now 1-1 in one of the nation’s toughest schedules of the spring season as they also dropped a hard-fought match to national power Texas A&M by the score of 2-0 on Feb. 24 at the Aggie Soccer Stadium in College Station, Texas.
“It was exciting to see the girls play so well against a quality opponent on the road,” said LSU head coach Brian Lee. “Once the game settled, I was very happy with both the effort and playing style I saw from our team. Wake Forest is a tremendous team and a well-respected program, and I couldn’t be more proud of this team for what they accomplished tonight.”
Yepez put the Tigers on top 1-0 early in the second half after taking a feed from junior standout Caroline Vanderpool inside the penalty box and ripping a left-footed shot past a diving keeper. Jones pushed the LSU advantage to 2-0 late after receiving a slotted through ball from freshman Katherine Lagow and burying a shot in a one-on-one situation with the keeper.
The Demon Deacons would not give in as they cut the LSU lead in half on a penalty kick late in regulation, but the Tigers held on to defeat a team that finished the season as the 19th-ranked team in the country according to the National Soccer Coaches Association of America. Wake Forest posted a 16-6-1 mark in the fall and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
The Tigers continue their tour of North Carolina as they head to Durham on Sunday to take on the Duke Blue Devils in a match scheduled for 11 a.m. CDT at Koskinen Stadium. They return to Baton Rouge on Tuesday to take on Northwestern State at 7 p.m. before wrapping up the spring season against Ole Miss on March 31 at the Freedom Ridge Soccer Complex in Ridgeland, Miss.