EVANSTON, Ill. — Senior captain Roslyn Jones and junior Michelle Makasini each scored goals in the second half and freshman Mo Isom was outstanding in goal once again in leading the LSU soccer team to a 2-0 shutout of Northwestern on Saturday night at the Lakeside Invitational.
The Tigers ran their record to 3-0 on the season with the Wildcats falling to 1-1 in a match held at picturesque Lakeside Field along the shores of Lake Michigan.
“I’m very proud of our girls for continuing to work hard for 90 minutes tonight despite not having their best game,” said LSU head coach Brian Lee. “It’s just as important to pull out a win against a good opponent on the road when you’ve got to grind it out as it is to win with style and panache like we did against BYU at home on Monday night.
“To see those two character traits from our team this early in the season is very encouraging. We do need to come out and play with more intensity and focus on Monday.”
Jones put the Tigers on top with her second goal of the season in the 54th minute of play, finishing a perfect cross from junior Rachel Yepez along the end line on the left side of the area with a shot from point-blank range inside the six-yard box. Malorie Rutledge set up the goal by intercepting an errant pass by a Wildcat defender and playing a through ball to Yepez behind the back line.
Makasini provided the final margin in the 75th minute with her second goal of the season by firing a one-timer into the back of the net from 12 yards out in the right side of the box following a brilliant cross from the left wing by Rutledge.
But Isom proved to be the difference with her play in goal as she recorded her second clean sheet of the season by making four saves in 11 shot attempts by the Wildcats. The Tigers finished with eight shots and five shots on goal, while Northwestern held a 7-3 edge in corner kicks.
“Mo was awesome tonight. She just plays with a maturity and confidence that isn’t seen by many freshmen at this level,” Lee said. “She’s really come up big for us in every game she’s played for us, and this might be her best performance. She was very composed in goal tonight, and I thought she communicated very well and kept us organized throughout the game.”
The teams went into the halftime break scoreless despite the Wildcats holding the run of play on the offensive end with a 5-2 edge in shots and a 4-1 advantage in corner kicks.
The Tigers missed an opportunity to take a 1-0 lead just seconds into the match when Rutledge received a pass from Makasini on the right wing following the opening kickoff and slotted a perfect through ball behind the Wildcat back line to a streaking Yepez in the box. But Yepez was unable to finish with Wildcat goalkeeper Carolyn Edwards charging.
Northwestern controlled the action for the remainder of the half while sustaining pressure on LSU in the attacking third. The Wildcats saw a shot ricochet off the crossbar in the eight minute of the match and a free kick sail high over a leaping Isom from the top of the penalty area.
Isom kept the game scoreless in the 12th minute of play with a sliding save on a shot by a Wildcat attacker with a loose ball bouncing in the box following a corner kick.
The Tigers will wrap up play in the Lakeside Invitational on Monday night as they take on the Loyola-Chicago Ramblers in a match scheduled for a 6 p.m. CT kickoff at Lakeside Field. Loyola is an NCAA Tournament tested team that earned an automatic berth into the postseason last year after winning the Horizon League Tournament title.