BATON ROUGE ? The 15th-ranked LSU soccer team returned to the top of the SEC standings on Friday night after battling the 21st-ranked Ole Miss Rebels to a scoreless draw on a windy night at the LSU Soccer Complex.
The draw, coupled with South Carolina’s 2-1 defeat at the hands of the Georgia Bulldogs, sent the Tigers (9-3-3, 5-1-1 SEC) into a tie for first place in the SEC table with 16 points in league play.
Despite playing into a strong wind with gusts reaching 25 mph, LSU dominated the first half with a 6-2 lead in total shots and three corner kicks but went into the halftime break without scoring on any of its opportunities on goal. The Tiger attack continued to feel the absence of forward Rachel Yepez, who missed her third consecutive game with an ankle injury.
“It is important for us to get Rachel back as soon as possible so that we can rotate more players up front without having to drop back,” said LSU head coach Brian Lee. “We’re going to work on getting her back Sunday, and hopefully she will be in the lineup when we play Mississippi State.”
The second half proved to be a more even contest with Ole Miss (9-3-2, 3-1-2 SEC) holding a 4-3 edge in total shots and LSU attempting the only shot on goal of the period. The Rebels picked up the pressure with five corner kicks in the half.
After battling to a scoreless draw in regulation, the Tigers controlled the pace of the game in both overtime periods and appeared ready to end the match with a goal in the first 10-minute frame.
Senior All-American Malorie Rutledge nearly ended the match just over two minutes into the first overtime with a rocket shot off the crossbar from 25 yards in front of the goal. Less than a minute later, fellow senior Melissa Clarke served a beautiful right-footed cross into the penalty area from the right end line to a wide-open Carlie Banks running free in the left side of the area. Banks fired a diving header that sailed just over the crossbar in a wide-open net.
Clarke nearly ended the match herself with just 1:40 remaining on the clock in the first 10-minute overtime period with a strike from point-blank range approximately eight yards out. Rutledge centered a pass to Clarke standing alone in the middle of the box, and Clarke fired a shot on goal that was saved by a diving Ole Miss goalkeeper Alley Ronaldi.
Neither side was able to create a quality scoring opportunity in the second overtime as they ended with a 0-0 draw. The Tigers outshot the Rebels by a 5-1 count in overtime.
In 110 minutes of action, LSU outshot Ole Miss by a 14-7 margin in total shots with a 5-1 edge in shots on goal. The Rebels held the advantage with a 6-5 edge in corner kicks.
“I thought we played really well over the course of the game. It’s disappointing not to come away with three points tonight,” Lee said. “We certainly had plenty of chances to win the game, and we had three outstanding opportunities in the first 10 minutes of overtime. We need to do a better job of finishing the chances that we create. That’s always a focus of our team.”
Sophomore goalkeeper Mo Isom made history on Friday night by earning the 15th shutout of her young career to tie former Tigers Valerie Vogler and Bonnie Otillio for the all-time lead in career shutouts. Isom also set a career best with her eighth shutout on the season.
Much of the credit for LSU’s outstanding defensive performance on Friday goes to a hardworking back line that prevented Ole Miss from firing a shot on goal until the final minute of the match.
The Tigers return to the pitch on Sunday as they play host to Mississippi State in match scheduled for a 1:06 p.m. CT kickoff at the LSU Soccer Complex. Sunday’s match is slated for a live TV broadcast by Comcast Sports Southeast and can be seen in Louisiana on Cox Sports Television.