MEMPHIS, Tenn. – The 18th-ranked LSU soccer team could not recover from an early goal by Hermann Trophy candidate Vendula Strnadova at the 16:04 mark of the first half as it dropped a 1-0 decision to the 23rd-ranked Memphis Tigers in the first of four-straight road matches against nationally-ranked opponents on Saturday night at the Mike Rose Soccer Complex.
LSU (1-1-0) falls for the first time in the 2010 campaign, while Memphis (3-0-0) wins its second-straight game in the series and third-straight match to start the new season.
“Tonight was a great learning experience for our young team,” said LSU head coach Brian Lee. “It’s their first time playing in a tough away environment like this. Horns going off from the crowd when we are on the break, ball kids disappearing late in the game and a very good Memphis program will help prepare the team to play in tough SEC environments later this fall.
“Regardless of the environment, Memphis is a quality team and certainly deserved to win it tonight. They play a very nice style of soccer and compete from the opening kickoff.”
Strnadova scored the only goal of the match in the 17th minute of the opening half as she dribbled into the middle of the LSU defense and fired a shot from 22 yards out that found the back of the net inside the left post. The senior midfielder was named to the Hermann Trophy watch list in the preseason.
Sophomore midfielder Tricia Johnson and freshman striker Kaley Blades came off the bench to spearhead the LSU attack as the duo finished the night with three shots apiece.
LSU matched Memphis with 11 total shots on the night, while Memphis held a 6-2 advantage on goal and a 5-2 edge in corner kicks. LSU turned up the pressure in the second half as it outshot Memphis by an 8-2 count in the frame, but was unable to break through with the equalizer.
The Tigers will continue their four-game road swing next weekend as they travel to Winston-Salem, N.C., to go up against No. 8-ranked Wake Forest on Friday at 6:30 p.m. CDT and No. 16-ranked Virginia Tech on Sept. 5 at 10:30 a.m. as part of the ACC/SEC Challenge being held at Spry Stadium. LSU will wrap up its road swing on Sept. 9 with a trip to Provo, Utah, to take on No. 14-ranked BYU.