AUBURN, Ala. ? The 17th-ranked LSU soccer team finds itself alone atop the Southeastern Conference standings with a perfect 4-0 mark and 12 points in league play after earning a 2-0 shutout of the Auburn Tigers on Sunday afternoon at the Auburn Soccer Complex.
Sunday’s victory is LSU’s (8-2-2, 4-0-0 SEC) first at the Auburn Soccer Complex in eight matches as it runs its SEC unbeaten streak to a school record seven games dating back to last season.
It is also LSU’s second-straight win over Auburn (5-4-3, 2-2-0 SEC) as the Tigers are 4-0 in league play for the first time in team history. Their previous best was a 3-1 start in the SEC during the 1995 season.
The Tigers are now in sole possession of first place in the overall SEC standings after securing 12 points with four league wins. They are followed closely behind by South Carolina with 10 points, Georgia with nine points, defending champion Florida with seven points and a trio of teams with six points.
“This was a big win for our team on the road against a very good team in Auburn,” said LSU head coach Brian Lee. “There is no doubt about how difficult it is to go on the road and pick up three points in this league. The results from this weekend are certainly proof of that. It’s important for our team that we keep improving week-to-week as we get ready for another big SEC road trip next weekend.”
Senior All-American and reigning SEC Offensive Player of the Year Malorie Rutledge put the Tigers on top 1-0 in the 20th minute of play on a brilliant individual effort for her sixth goal of the season.
After gaining possession of the ball near the midfield stripe, fellow senior Melissa Clarke played the ball to a wide-open Rutledge in the middle of the field. Rutledge then went right to work attacking the Auburn back line and rifled a shot inside the left post from the right side of the penalty area after dribbling past a pair of Auburn defenders on a class 30-yard run.
With LSU continuing to pressure for the second goal, Clarke gave her side a 2-0 lead in the 51st minute on a curling shot inside the far post from near the end line in the right side of the penalty area. For Clarke, it was her team-leading seventh goal of the season and her second goal in as many matches.
Sophomore goalkeeper Mo Isom only needed to save three shots to earn her seventh shutout of the season to match her total from all of last season. Isom is now just one clean sheet shy of tying LSU’s all-time career record of 15 held by former Tiger stars Valerie Vogler and Bonnie Otillio.
LSU outshot Auburn by a 17-9 margin in the match with a narrow 5-3 edge in shots on goal. LSU also led in corners by attempting three in the match to just two corner kicks for Auburn.
The Tigers will head back on the road next weekend as they travel to Lexington, Ky., on Friday to take on the Kentucky Wildcats at 6 p.m. CT and Nashville, Tenn., on Oct. 11 to square off against Vanderbilt in a match set for a 1 p.m. kickoff. LSU will not return home until Oct. 16 when they host Ole Miss at 7 p.m.