COLLEGE STATION, Texas — The 14th-ranked LSU soccer team saw its season come to an end Friday night with a heartbreaking 3-2 overtime loss at the hands of 22nd-ranked Washington in the first round of the NCAA Tournament at the Aggie Soccer Stadium.
The Tigers (14-4-2) wrap up the season making their second straight appearance in the NCAA Tournament, while Washington (16-4-1) advances to the second round Sunday at 1:30 p.m. where it will face the winner of Friday’s match between Texas A&M and Texas State.
LSU held a 2-0 lead with 30 minutes to play in regulation when the Huskies fought back with two goals to force overtime before scoring the game-winner 4:31 into the extra frame.
“This is certainly a very disappointing loss for our team,” said LSU head coach Brian Lee. “That was a great comeback by Washington. You don’t have a great season without being a team with a tremendous amount of character. They kept fighting and deserved the goals they got to tie it up. It was a great season for our team, and we’ll work even harder to get back here again next year.”
Junior All-American Malorie Rutledge scored the first goal of the game for LSU just six minutes into the second half with her team-leading ninth goal of the season. Melissa Clarke hit Rutledge streaking down the right flank, and the SEC Offensive Player of the Year used tremendous touch to chip the ball over the head of the Husky goalkeeper and inside the left post at the 51:09 mark.
But Rutledge’s claim as the team’s top goal scorer only lasted seven minutes when senior captain Roslyn Jones pushed the LSU lead to 2-0 with her ninth goal of the season.
While battling a Washington defender for a loose ball in the box, Jones gained possession and put a chip shot from 10 yards over the outstretched arms of the charging goalkeeper with the defender applying pressure. The ball took two bounces and rolled across the line at the 57:50 mark.
Despite allowing LSU to take a two-goal advantage with just 30 minutes remaining in the contest, Washington battled back with two goals of their own to force overtime. Katie Deines pulled one back for the Huskies with her seventh goal of the season in the 61st minute, while Veronica Perez tied the score at two goals apiece with her team-leading 13th goal of the season in the 83rd minute.
With the score tied at two goals apiece and the teams playing a sudden-death overtime, midfielder Jenna Robison scored the game-winner for the Huskies at the 94:31 mark with a rocket shot from 40 yards out following a clearance out of the penalty area by the LSU defense.
Washington finished the night with a 20-11 advantage in total shots in the match, while it finished with 10 shots on goal to just four for the Tigers. The Huskies also held a 7-5 edge in corner kicks.
“On the game-winning goal, we cleared it out, but the ball popped out right to their player and she absolutely crushed it,” Lee said. “There wasn’t a whole lot we could do about it and was certainly well-deserved on their part. Their team was certainly rewarded for the way they just kept fighting with everything they had to the very end. They deserve a lot of credit for that.”
Despite taking a scoreless tie into the halftime locker room, the Tigers held the run of play in the opening half while keeping the pressure on the Washington defense. LSU held a 6-4 advantage in total shots and a 3-0 edge in corner kicks in the half.
Perhaps LSU’s best opportunity to get on the board came in the 31st minute of the game when the Tigers forced a Husky turnover outside their own penalty box and Rutledge gained possession of the ball and rifled a shot off the left post from 20 yards away directly in front of the net. Rutledge was also credited with LSU’s only shot on goal of the period.
Friday’s match marked the end of a brilliant career for three Tiger seniors as Jones, midfielder Casey Crawford and goalkeeper Jackie Moseley suited up for the last time in the purple and gold.
“This program owes a great deal to those three young ladies for the way that they’ve represented themselves and this great university during their careers,” Lee said. “They can have a lot of pride in knowing that they were a part of the most successful senior class in the history of this program and that they have helped us establish LSU as one of the top teams in the country.”
LSU finishes the season with its most successful campaign in program history after posting a 14-4-2 overall record and capturing its second straight SEC Western Division championship with a school record 7-3-1 mark and 22 points in league play. The Tigers also earned their best finish in the SEC standings while wrapping up the season at No. 2 on the league table.