ORANGE BEACH, Ala. — The 11th-ranked and No. 2 seed LSU soccer team saw its run in the 2008 SEC Tournament come to an end Friday night as it dropped a penalty kick shootout to the No. 6 seed Tennessee Lady Volunteers in the semifinals at the Orange Beach Sportsplex.
After playing one another to a 1-1 draw, Tennessee (9-10-2, 5-5-1 SEC) finished with a 4-2 edge in penalty kicks to advance to Sunday’s final match. The match is officially scored a draw as LSU (14-3-2, 7-3-1 SEC) will await an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament to be awarded Monday.
This marks the second straight season that the Tigers played to a shootout at the SEC Tournament after defeating Auburn by a 4-2 margin in penalty kicks in the opening round last season.
“It was a good game with an exciting finish,” said LSU head coach Brian Lee. “Tennessee came out with great effort and determination tonight and I thought played with a lot of fight for the full 110 minutes. We responded really well after halftime to come back and tie it up. We just couldn’t keep up the pressure and break through with a second goal down the stretch.
“We’re now going to head back home and take a couple of days off to rest up before we get back on the field and start preparing for the NCAA Tournament.”
The Tigers had the first opportunity to get on the board in the 13th minute of the first half when junior All-SEC midfielder Melissa Clarke was denied on a shot from 12 yards out in the right side of the area by Tennessee goalkeeper Jaimel Johnson after making a brilliant 40-yard run through the defense. Johnson then saved a put back by LSU senior Casey Crawford on the rebound.
The Lady Vols took a 1-0 lead seven minutes later when the ball was sent into the box on a corner kick and Grace Cuenin buried the loose ball with a shot from eight yards in front of the net.
Tennessee took its one-goal lead into the halftime locker room when LSU was unable to score the equalizer in the final 25 minutes. LSU went into the break with a 4-3 edge in total shots, while the Lady Volunteers held a 2-1 edge in shots on goal and a 4-1 advantage in corner kicks.
But the Tigers wasted little time in tying the score at 1-1 as senior captain Roslyn Jones put LSU on the scoreboard with her team-leading eighth goal of the year in the 55th minute. Junior Rachel Yepez found Clarke streaking down the right flank, and after making another class run toward the end line, Clarke hit Jones on the far post for the shot from the edge of the six-yard box.
Neither side was able to break through with the game-winner down the stretch despite some tense moments for their respective defenses. Yepez nearly gave LSU the lead in the 65th minute with a shot fired off the crossbar, while Tennessee countered with a shot off the right post by midfielder Chelsea Hatcher with just two minutes remaining.
Through 110 minutes of play, Tennessee outshot LSU by a 12-11 margin, including a 7-3 edge in shots on goal and a 9-2 advantage in corner kicks.
LSU will now return to Baton Rouge and await its NCAA Tournament fate as the 64-team field is set to be announced on Monday evening. The NCAA Tournament Selection Show is scheduled to be broadcast on ESPNews between 7-7:30 p.m. CT.
The Tigers have built a strong resume to receive an at-large berth into the NCAA Tournament for the second straight season as they finished the season with a 14-3-2 overall record and a 7-3-1 mark in SEC play to earn their second straight SEC Western Division title and finish No. 2 in the overall SEC standings. They are also No. 33 in the latest RPI released Nov. 3.
“We’re definitely looking forward to Monday,” Lee said. “We feel like we’ve done what we need to do to receive an at-large bid into the NCAA Tournament for the second-straight season, and we will anxiously await our name to pop up on the screen while watching the selection show.”