TAMPA, Fla. — What began as a sunny afternoon in South Florida turned into a long night at the USF Soccer Complex as the LSU Tigers battled the Central Florida Golden Knights to a 0-0 draw on Friday in the first game of the 2009 Dafeldecker Classic hosted by the University of South Florida.
Following a scheduled 4 p.m. CT kickoff on the South Florida campus, neither team could break through with the game-winner in a match that featured 110 minutes of action and a more than two-hour rain delay.
The Tigers are unbeaten in their last two matches as they are now 1-1-1 this year, while Central Florida is now 2-1-1 on the young season. The match came to an end more than four hours after the opening kick.
“This was a great step forward for our team to play very well against a good Central Florida team,” said LSU head coach Brian Lee. “I am very pleased with the way we played in the game. Of course, we would have liked to finish some of our chances. You have to credit their goalkeeper because she was outstanding all night long. She was always in the right place at the right time and made some unbelievable saves.”
Senior goalkeeper Lynzee Lee was outstanding between the posts for the Golden Knights as she saved an impressive eight of 18 shots by LSU to preserve the shutout. LSU sophomore goalkeeper Mo Isom played an outstanding game of her own while saving six of 11 shots by UCF to earn her second shutout of 2009.
The Tigers threatened to break the game open in the second half as Lee made six saves alone in the period while making one save in each overtime period.
Senior forward Rachel Yepez gave LSU the best opportunity to win the game during the second overtime period while slipping behind the UCF defensive back line for a pair of shots one-on-one with the keeper.
With just over five minutes remaining in the match, Yepez received a through ball from Carlie Banks and slipped behind the defense before rifling a shot off the crossbar from 10 yards in front of the net. She then ran onto another through ball from sophomore midfielder Taryne Boudreau in the left side of the box and fired a shot just high of the crossbar with Lee racing forward to challenge the shot.
The Tigers outshot the Golden Knights in the match by an 18-11 count, including an 8-6 edge in shots on goal. Each team earned six corner kicks in 110 minutes of play.
“We were just a bit unlucky not to convert at least one of our chances tonight,” Lee said. “Rachel played a great game for us up top, especially in the second half, and I thought she took both of her chances well in the overtime. She was just unlucky not to score on either of those shots. I’m proud of the way our players competed for the full 110 minutes tonight. We look forward to another chance to compete on Sunday.”
Forward Yvonne George nearly put the Golden Knights on the scoreboard in the 17th minute of play with a rocket shot off the crossbar from just outside the top of the box. Defender Stacy Kadell followed with an uncontested shot of her own just high of the crossbar in the 38th minute.
The Tigers were unable to mount an attack in the first half of play as the teams went into the break with a scoreless tie. UCF held a 5-4 advantage in total shots and a 2-0 edge in shots on goal in the first half.
But with a severe thunderstorm bearing down on the USF Soccer Complex as the clock struck 0:00 at the end of the first period, the teams were sent to the locker room uncertain of when play might resume. Play was suspended for 2 hours, 10 minutes as heavy rains pounded the South Florida campus.
“It was certainly an early season test of our character and resolve to overcome that kind of adversity,” Lee said. “We always try to focus on the things that we can control, and we certainly have no control over what the weather is going to do. We just tried to prepare our girls as best we could with the updates given to us. It was a long wait, but knew we had to be ready to compete in the second half.
“The field was unbelievable in the second half considering the amount of rain we got here tonight. This is an outstanding facility and the grounds crew did a great job of getting it ready to play in the second half.”
The Tigers will return to the pitch on Sunday at the Dafeldecker Classic as they take on tournament host South Florida at 11 a.m. CT at the USF Soccer Complex. Log on to LSUsports.net for complete live stats during the match, and be sure to follow @LSUsoccer on Twitter for exclusive in-game coverage.