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Soccer Draws at No. 24 Alabama, 1-1Soccer Draws at No. 24 Alabama, 1-1

Soccer Draws at No. 24 Alabama, 1-1

Soccer Draws at No. 24 Alabama, 1-1

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Senior midfielder Nicole Howard opened the scoring with her third goal of the season just six minutes into the match as the visiting LSU Tigers played the No. 24-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide to a 1-1 draw on Thursday night at the Alabama Soccer Complex for their first point in SEC play.

Thursday’s match marked the sixth-straight extra-time match between the sides dating back to the 2012 season as LSU (7-1-1, 0-1-1 SEC) and Alabama (8-2-1, 0-1-1) both picked up their first point following a pair of 1-0 defeats last weekend in their respective conference openers.

“This was a typical Alabama match,” said LSU head coach Brian Lee. “If this series has showed us anything, you have to work very for 90 minutes and beyond each and every time these two teams play. They bring great energy and play the possession game very well, so you have to stay organized from start to finish to get a result.”

The Tigers wasted no time in making their mark on the match as Howard finished their first attack just six minutes after the opening kick with her third goal of the year. Howard’s floated header from Tiana Caffey‘s ball over the top was too much for Crimson Tide goalkeeper to Kat Stratton to keep out as LSU raced out to the early 1-0 lead. Freshman  Lucy Parker was also involved in the buildup.

Junior goalkeeper Caroline Brockmeier set the tone defensively as she made three saves to preserve the Tigers’ lead at the break. Alexis Mouton was sure to level for the hosts on the breakaway with little more than a minute to play, but Brockmeier’s diving save low to her left held the lead for the visitors.

The Crimson Tide found the equalizer five minutes after the restart when Christina Maartensson finished from eight yards for her first goal of the season on 50 minutes with the assist from Emma Welch.

The Tigers kept it tight at the back as play moved to the final quarter of an hour despite Alabama nearly taking the lead in the 73rd minute through Taylor Morgan. Redshirt freshman Lindsey Eaton first saved off the line following a Crimson Tide corner kick before Brockmeier saved nicely from Morgan’s curling rebound from the top of the box.

Brockmeier saved nine shots on the night for her second-highest output of the season behind only here career-high 12 saves in LSU’s 3-0 away win at Colgate back on Aug. 20 on the opening weekend of the season.

The Tigers are back in action on Sunday afternoon when they welcome the Mississippi State Bulldogs to Baton Rouge for a match scheduled to kick off at 3 p.m. CT on the SEC Network+. They are back on the road next weekend with a trip to Lexington to face the Kentucky Wildcats at 6:30 p.m. CT also on the SEC Network+.