ORANGE BEACH, Ala. — LSU junior Brittany Lowe could not have picked a better time to score her first career goal as she buried the game-winner in the 67th minute to lead the No. 2 seed Tigers to a 2-1 win over No. 7 seed Ole Miss in the first round of the SEC Tournament on Wednesday.
Lowe, who came onto the pitch just four minutes before giving the Tigers a 2-1 lead, redirected a perfect cross into the center of the penalty area by Amanda Carreno with a header shot just inside the left post from 10 yards in front of the Ole Miss goal.
Also assisting on Lowe’s game-winner was junior Hermann Trophy candidate Malorie Rutledge as the reigning SEC Offensive Player of the Year now has a total of 18 assists on the season. She moves into the No. 2 spot on the SEC’s all-time list for assists in a single season.
With the win, the 11th-ranked Tigers (14-3-1, 7-3-1 SEC) advance to Friday’s semifinal round and will take on the winner of Wednesday’s match between No. 3 Auburn and No. 6 Tennessee.
“It felt good to score a goal and help our team in a big game like this to get to the next round,” Lowe said. “It was a perfect cross. I knew Amanda would get the ball in, and I got behind the girl defending me and hit it far post. I didn’t really have to move at all. I saw that the keeper was there on the near post, so I just tried to hit it far post. Luckily, it went in.”
It marked LSU’s second win all-time in the SEC Tournament as it improves to 2-6-1 in seven all-time appearances, and it also marks the second straight season in which the Tigers have advanced to the semifinal round. LSU also picked up its first win over the Rebels (7-10-3, 5-5-1 SEC) since winning a 2-1 decision during the 2004 regular season.
“I thought we had a great effort in the second half,” said LSU head coach Brian Lee. “It’s really a tough thing to come out here at noon on Wednesday and play a game, and we looked like it in the first half. The second half was a complete turnaround in effort, movement and our level of play. It resulted in a number of chances, and we were fortunate to put two away.”
After the sides went into the break scoreless, LSU freshman Kellie Murphy broke through with the first goal of the match on a composed finish in the 51st minute of play.
Junior defender Nikki Bush controlled a clearance by the Ole Miss back line and served a perfect cross to Murphy running free in the left side of the penalty area. Murphy chested the ball down to her feet and chipped a shot from just outside the top of the six-yard box over the reach of the Ole Miss goalkeeper racing off her line for her third goal of the season.
But the advantage was short-lived as Christine Breaux scored the equalizer for the Rebels just 89 seconds later with an open shot from the middle of the box inside the right post at the 52:58 mark.
The Tigers were undeterred with the quick response by Ole Miss and Lowe provided the winning score at the 66:22 mark of the second half. LSU finished the match with a 13-9 advantage in total shots, while the sides matched one another with five shots and two corner kicks apiece.
“I’m very proud of the contribution we got from our kids coming off the bench today,” Lee said. “We had players stepping up and not just playing for a few minutes, but making an impact on the outcome of the game. Kellie Murphy and Brittany Lowe stayed composed when given the chance and scored two great goals, and Amanda Carreno and Michelle Makasini played very well.
“This was a very important win for our team in terms of receiving an NCAA Tournament bid. I’m very proud for our team in coming away with a win, and now we look forward to Friday.”