BATON ROUGE – The LSU soccer team saw its 15-game home unbeaten streak and four-game unbeaten streak in Southeastern Conference play snapped Sunday afternoon after suffering a 1-0 defeat at the hands of the Vanderbilt Commodores at the LSU Soccer Complex.
The Tigers (5-6-3, 2-2-2 SEC) also dropped its first decision to the Commodores (6-7-1, 2-3-1 SEC) since the 2005 season after opening the match with a five-game unbeaten streak in the series.
Vanderbilt senior forward Molly Kinsella scored the game-winning goal in the 68th minute of play with an open shot from 10 yards out in the right side of the penalty area. Senior Megan Eddings found Kinsella on a pass over the top of the LSU back line, where the senior finished with a shot inside the left post.
The Tigers struggled to finish throughout the match, as freshman striker Addie Eggleston provided LSU’s best opportunities to get on the scoreboard early in the second half with shots on consecutive possessions.
With LSU on a four-on-three break in the 52nd minute, sophomore forward Carlie Banks slotted a through ball to Eggleston running free down the right flank. Eggleston then positioned her run toward the goal one-on-one with Vanderbilt goalkeeper Rachel Batchel before firing a right-footed shot on frame from 10 yards that was saved by the Commodore stopper. Eggleston followed one minute later with a blast from at the top of the area just inches wide of the right post following a centering pass from Allysha Chapman.
Chapman was very active for the Tigers in generating the attack down the left wing as she wrapped up the match with a team-high three shots, while also serving into the box a series of end-line crosses throughout the 90 minutes of action and wreaking havoc through the Vanderbilt defense with several class runs.
The Tigers held the advantage on the final stat sheet while outshooting the Commodores by a 13-6 margin in total shots and holding a 6-2 edge in corner kicks. Each side fired three shots on goal in the match.
LSU will head back on the road next weekend as the team returns to the pitch Friday night with a journey to Oxford, Miss., to take on the Ole Miss Rebels in a match scheduled for a 7 p.m. CT kickoff at the Ole Miss Soccer Stadium. The Tigers then travel to Starkville, Miss., on Oct. 17 to battle the Mississippi State Bulldogs in a match slated to kick off at 1 p.m. at the MSU Soccer Field.