BATON ROUGE — After 18th-ranked Georgia took a 1-0 lead in the 56th minute of play, LSU sophomore Michelle Makasini scored the equalizer just four minutes later as the sides battled to a 1-1 draw Sunday afternoon at the LSU Soccer Complex.
Georgia took a brief 1-0 lead at the 55:06 mark when junior defender Megan Tomlinson blasted a header inside the far post from the top of the six-yard box for her first goal of the season.
But the Bulldogs were unable to hold the lead as Makasini collected a centering pass from junior forward Roslyn Jones and buried the equalizer with a strike from 12 yards out in the center of the penalty area at the 59:01 mark of the second half.
Makasini is now the team’s second leading scorer through 13 matches this season with seven goals and 16 points on the year, while she is the top scorer in Southeastern Conference play with four goals and eight points in four league games.
“It was big for us to come back and score the equalizer that quick after going down 1-0. That just shows the character of the team,” said LSU head coach Brian Lee. “Michelle has really come into form over the last two weeks after a bit of a slow start to the season. She’s nearly automatic when she gets an open look like that in front of goal. She stayed composed and took it well.”
The Tigers (8-1-4, 2-0-2 SEC) are riding a four-game unbeaten streak as they earned their second straight positive result against a ranked opponent following a 3-0 shutout of No. 6 Tennessee on Friday night. They are now in sole possession of fourth place in the SEC standings at four points.
The Bulldogs (10-1-1, 3-0-1 SEC) are now tied atop the league table with the Ole Miss Rebels at 10 points as they extend their unbeaten streak to seven games and are 6-2-1 in the all-time series.
LSU controlled the flow of play for most of the afternoon as the side outshot Georgia by a 23-7 margin. The Tigers also attempted a total of six shots on goal and six corner kicks in the match to four shots on goal and six corner kicks for the Bulldogs.
“Obviously, we would have liked to win the game, but this is another good result for our club,” Lee said. “We came away from this weekend with a win and a draw against two opponents that are ranked among the top 20 teams in the country. That’s a testament to the hard work that the kids have shown in preparation for the start of SEC play.”
Georgia made it a physical match as the side was whistled for 15 fouls on the afternoon to more than double the Tigers’ output of seven fouls. The Bulldogs were also issued four yellow cards in the match with three coming after tackles from behind.
LSU has made it difficult on its opponents in the attack as 12 yellow cards have been issued to the opposing side after four league matches with nine coming after hard tackles from behind. The Tigers have been issued three yellow cards in four SEC games.
LSU returns to the pitch next weekend as it kicks off a four-game SEC road swing against the Auburn Tigers on Friday in a match scheduled for a 7 p.m. kickoff at the Auburn Soccer Complex. It follows with a short trip to Tuscaloosa, Ala., to take on the Alabama Crimson Tide on Oct. 14 in a match slated for 1 p.m.