BATON ROUGE — Senior captain Roslyn Jones and junior striker Rachel Yepez each scored goals to lead the 17th-ranked LSU soccer team to its school record fifth-straight win in league play with a 2-1 defeat of the Kentucky Wildcats on Sunday at the LSU Soccer Complex.
Not only did LSU (12-2, 6-2 SEC) pick up its fifth straight win in the SEC, but the team extended its school record home unbeaten streak to 18 games since 2006 and its unbeaten streak against Kentucky (3-11-2, 1-6-1 SEC) to four games with just its second win all-time over the Wildcats.
The Tigers have also solidified their position as the top team in the SEC West as they are now on 18 points in league play to sit five points clear of second-place Auburn on the division table.
“There’s no doubt that Sundays in the SEC are tough for everybody,” said LSU head coach Brian Lee. “It didn’t seem like we were as fresh today as we have been the last few Sundays in the SEC. We weren’t able to capitalize on some chances to put the game away in the second half, but that’s the way this game is sometimes. A win is a win at this point, and it was big to get three points.”
Yepez wasted no time in giving the Tigers a 1-0 lead as she ripped a one-timer past the Kentucky goalkeeper from near the top of the six-yard box following a centering pass in the penalty area by junior midfielder Malorie Rutledge at the 2:37 mark of the first half.
Yepez’s seventh goal of the season was the fastest to start a match for the Tigers in 2008, while it also made history as Rutledge broke her own single-season school record with her 13th assist.
After the Wildcats drew level at 16:52 mark on a goal by Kate Hughes, Jones responded with the game-winner just 13 seconds after the ensuing kickoff with her sixth goal of the season. Rutledge took immediate possession of the ball on the right flank and served a cross into the box to an open Jones, who rifled a shot off a defender and into the net at the 17:05 mark of the first half.
LSU held the advantage on the offensive end throughout the match as they outshot Kentucky by a 15-5 count with a 7-3 edge in shots on goal and an 8-1 advantage in corner kicks.
“It’s big to come away with two wins on any SEC weekend, so we’re happy about that,” Rutledge said. “It means we are another step closer to winning the SEC West and competing for the overall SEC title. We have three tough games left before the postseason, so we just need to come out and work hard in practice this week and keep pushing forward. That’s the focus.”
With just three games remaining in the regular season, the Tigers find themselves in second place in the overall SEC standings as they trail first-place Florida by six points. Georgia follows in third with 16 points, while Tennessee is also within striking distance in fourth place with 15 points.
LSU heads back on the road on Thursday night as it travels to Columbia, S.C., to battle the South Carolina Gamecocks at 6 p.m. CT at Stone Stadium. The club then wraps up the regular season with home matches against eighth-ranked Florida on Oct. 26 and Arkansas on Oct. 31.