TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — A penalty kick goal by sophomore midfielder Malorie Rutledge in the 14th minute provided the winning margin as the 19th-ranked LSU soccer team edged Alabama, 2-1, on Sunday afternoon at the Alabama Soccer Complex.
The Tigers (9-2-4, 3-1-2 SEC) rebounded from their only loss in SEC play on Friday night by extending their winning streak over the Crimson Tide (9-5-1, 2-3-1 SEC) to two straight games.
“It was big for us to go on the road and get a win today,” said LSU head coach Brian Lee. “Alabama is much improved in every aspect of the game, and they will certainly win their share of games the rest of the way. Sundays in the SEC are always tough, and the girls did a great job of keeping up the intensity out there today.”
Sophomore forward Rachel Yepez gave the Tigers 1-0 lead early in the match with her team-leading and league-leading 10th goal of the season at the 4:09 mark of the first half.
After Rutledge played a ball over the Alabama defense from the midfield line, Yepez took one touch and rifled a shot inside the far post from 12 yards out in the left side of the penalty area. It was Yepez’s first goal in conference play this season.
The Tigers were unable to hold the advantage as junior Danielle Bernier scored the equalizer for the Crimson Tide less than seven minutes later with a shot into the back of the net at the 11:55 mark. Senior Jordan O’Banion and freshman Victoria Frederick assisted on the goal.
But the Tigers responded at the 13:45 mark when Rutledge buried a penalty kick into the right side of the net for her fourth goal of the season. Rutledge has converted two penalty kicks this season, while she has scored three penalty kick goals in her career.
“The girls have done a great job this season of responding to goals scored for and against them,” Lee said. “That’s been a great character trait of this team. Even after Alabama scored the equalizer, we continued to work hard and push for the second goal. Roslyn (Jones) drew a penalty a few minutes later and Malorie put us ahead on the PK.”
LSU held the advantage on the offensive end by outshooting the Crimson Tide by a 16-13 margin, including a 13-6 advantage in shots on goal. Each team attempted three corner kicks.
With the win, the Tigers move into sole possession of fourth place in the SEC standings with 11 points through six league matches. Georgia is currently atop the league table at 16 points, while Auburn follows in second with 15 points and Tennessee is third with 13 points.
The Tigers head back on the road next weekend to take on a pair of SEC Eastern Division foes. They travel to Nashville, Tenn., on Friday to battle Vanderbilt at 7 p.m. CDT, while they make the trip to Lexington, Ky., on Sunday to square off against Kentucky at noon.