Baton Rouge, La. – The LSU soccer team is headed to Tallahassee, Fla., for its second round NCAA Tournament matchup with the fourth-seeded and No. 6 USC Trojans. The Tigers and Trojans will clash on Friday afternoon at 1 p.m. CT/2 p.m. ET at Seminole Soccer Stadium.
This is LSU’s sixth ever appearance in the NCAA Tournament and the Tigers own a record of 2-4-2 in the national tournament after Sunday’s draw against Boston University. LSU enters the second round of the NCAA Tournament with a record of 13-6-4. LSU’s trip to the NCAA Tournament is the sixth in Brian Lee‘s 14-year tenure at the head of the program. LSU is attempting to advance to the third round of the NCAA Tournament for the first time in program history.
Fans interested in purchasing tickets to the match in Tallahassee can visit Seminoles.com. The match will be streamed on WatchESPN.
The Basics | Game Notes
No. 19 LSU vs. No. 6 USC | 1 p.m. CT | Friday
Live Stats | Live Stream | Live Updates | Season Stats
Scouting USC
2018 Record: 16-2-2
Leading Scorers
Leah Pruitt – 33 points (12g & 9a)
Penelope Hocking – 32 points (13g & 6a)
Goalkeeper(s)
Kaylie Collins – 0.51 GAA, 57 saves, .851 save percentage
Notes
This is the fifth straight NCAA Tournament appearance for USC and 17th overall in program history … they won national titles in 2007 and 2016 … their 54 goals scored in 2018 are the second most in the NCAA.
LSU at the NCAA Tournament | NCAA Bracket
LSU NCAA Tournament | 2-4-2
2007 Samford W, 1-0 (2OT)
2007 Florida State L, 4-0
2008 Washington L, 3-2 (1OT)
2009 Arkansas Pine Bluff* W, 7-0
2009 Texas A&M* T, 1-1 Lost in PKs, 4-2
2011 Texas A&M L, 4-0
2015 South Alabama L, 4-0
2018 Boston University* T, 0-0 Won in PKs, 2-1
*hosted at LSU Soccer Stadium
This is the third time in program history that LSU has advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. The previous two second round matchups in the NCAA Tournament have resulted in losses.
Series History
This is the second time in program history that LSU and USC have faced off. The inaugural meeting came in 2013 and LSU was the victor with a 1-0 result over the Trojans. Megan Kinneman, LSU’s current goalkeeper coach, nailed the game winner in the 65th minute via a penalty kick. Kinneman made seven saves in the shutout victory as well.
SEC Champs
The Tigers made history on Nov. 4 with their first ever SEC Tournament title when they defeated Arkansas four to one in penalty kicks. The Tigers became the first team in SEC Tournament history to claim the title while playing four matches in an eight-day stretch. In the championship match freshman Shannon Cooke nailed the equalizer from distance in the 72nd minute of play to send it into overtime with the assist going to Abbey Newton. In penalty kicks, LSU had a 3-1 lead after the first three rounds and Newton’s attempt from the spot was nothing but the back of the net in the fourth round and it proved to be the winner for the Tigers. Senior goalkeeper Caroline Brockmeier was named the Tournament MVP while Adrienne Richardson, Alex Thomas and Shannon Cooke were named to the All-Tournament team.
Four LSU soccer players were honored with All-Southeastern Conference accolades on Oct. 28. Sophomore defender Lucy Parker was named to the All-SEC First Team, Alex Thomas and Adrienne Richardson earned All-SEC Second Team honors, and Abbey Newton was named to the All-Freshman Team.
Unbeaten Streak
LSU enters the second round of the NCAA Tournament riding the sixth-longest unbeaten streak in America having not lost a match in their last seven tries. Georgetown is the national leader with 21 straight wins or draws. Adding on to that, the Tigers haven’t lost a match in regulation since Sept. 23, a road match against the Florida Gators. That span includes a 12-game stretch in which the Tigers haven’t lost in regulation.
How LSU Made It Here
LSU has played the 18th-toughest schedule in the nation in 2018. The Tigers’ opponents have gone a combined 232-141-46 and the Purple and Gold played to a 13-6-4 record against those opponents. LSU played seven NCAA bound teams a total of 10 times this season and went 4-3-3 in those matches. The Southeastern Conference had nine teams make it to the NCAA Tournament, seven of which still remain alive as part of the final 32 teams standing.
Timely Thomas
Alex Thomas has played the best soccer of her career as of late and leads the Tigers in points accounted for (18) and is tied for the team lead in goals (7) with Adrienne Richardson. She had a career long eight match point streak that ranged from Sept. 27 to Oct. 26, almost a full month in which she registered a goal or assist in each of LSU’s eight matches in that timeframe. The streak was the second longest in LSU history, only falling behind the streak of Mandy Heintz that lasted 10 matches in 2002. Sixteen of her team leading 18 points have been registered against SEC opponents. She registered the first hat trick of her career on Oct. 28 against Missouri in the first round of the SEC Tournament; she became the first LSU player in program history to have a hat trick at the conference tournament and it was the 22nd in LSU history. Thomas has played wherever she has been needed this season playing either on the back line or front line. Her 7,231 career minutes are the fourth most in LSU history and she has the sixth-most starts in school history with 82. Friday will mark her 83rd career start. She also ranks tied for second alongside Ashley Mitnick in the LSU record book for penalty kicks scored in a career with five; four in 2018 and one in 2017.
Brockmeier in the Books
Caroline Brockmeier is having a career year in the net during her senior campaign. She owns career bests in goals against average (0.94 avg.), save percentage (.822), wins (13), saves (106) and shutouts (10). Her 24 career shutouts are the second most in program history. She has racked up 106 saves this season to bring her career total to 284, which is tied with Megan Kinneman for the school record. Her 28 career wins are the second most in school history, and her 10 shutouts this season are tied for the second most in a single season in program history. Her career save percentage of .796 is currently the best save percentage in school history ahead of Mo Isom and Megan Kinneman, who had career save percentages of .791. Brockmeier’s 2,213 minutes played in 2018 are the most by a goalkeeper in the NCAA.
Attacking Adrienne
Sophomore forward Adrienne Richardson ranks second on the team with 16 points registered and is tied for the team lead in goals (7) with Alex Thomas. Her dynamic skillset to LSU’s attacking front has immediately bolstered the LSU offense. The Oakdale, Minn., native has scored multiple goals in three games this season against Texas State, Lamar and Alabama. Three of her seven goals have come against SEC opponents with the most recent one coming against Mississippi State on Oct. 25 in the regular season finale that was an upper 90 rocket. She picked up the second assist of her LSU career on Oct. 30 against Tennessee at the SEC Tournament when she and Marlena Cutura assisted Shannon Cooke‘s first-career goal. Richardson is the first player since Jorian Baucom (2016) to score multiple goals in at least three games for LSU in a single season.
Clicking Cutura
Marlena Cutura is having the best season of her collegiate career in 2018. The junior has career highs in goals (3), assists (5) and total points (11). Two of her three goals this year have been game winners for the Tigers squad that is 6-0-1 when she scores a goal or assists on one. She registered the first multi-assist game of her career earlier this season with a matchup against Stetson (Sept. 6). The first came off a corner and the second was a delicately delivered lead ball sent in to Thompson. She scored seven points (2g & 3a) in a four-game stretch from Aug. 30 to Sept. 9.
Top Bins
Shannon Cooke had two crucial goals in the SEC Tournament to help LSU’s historic run to the league title. A goal that will forever live in LSU soccer lore, the English native nailed a 40-yard rip in the SEC title game on Nov. 4 to equalize the match in the 72nd minute, and LSU would go on to win its first SEC title in program history in penalties over Arkansas. A few days prior, she scored the first goal of her LSU career in the quarterfinals against the second-seeded Tennessee Vols; Adrienne Richardson and Marlena Cutura assisted on the play that saw Cooke rifle home her first goal of 2018 in the 52nd minute. Cooke was named to the all-tournament team for her efforts.
Youthful Resurgence
Seven of LSU’s top nine scorers in 2018 are underclassmen. Adrienne Richardson, a sophomore transfer from Florida State, leads the way for underclassmen with 16 points (7g & 2a) and is followed by freshman Abbey Newton, who has accounted for 11 points (4g & 3a) in her debut season. Lindsey Eaton (2g & 2a), Lucy Parker (3 goals), Shannon Cooke (2g & 2a) and Molly Thompson (3 goals) have all chipped in six points apiece, and sophomore Tinaya Alexander has dished out a team leading six assists. LSU has played up to as many as eight underclassmen on the field at once in 2018. LSU has received 43.9 percent of its points (40 of 91) from newcomers to rank as the second most in the conference. Newcomers who have scored in 2018 are Richardson, Newton, Thompson, Cooke and Moffatt.
Assisting Alexander
Tinaya Alexander owns the team lead with six assists in 2018 and is the jump starter to an abundant amount of LSU’s offensive opportunities. Moving to rightback halfway through the season, Alexander provides a lethal dosage of offensive prowess from the back line that helps get a number of LSU’s offensive chances started. Four of her six assists have come against SEC opponents and her assists total ranks as the ninth most in the SEC this season. She is averaging 0.32 assists per game in her 41 career games, an average that is the sixth best in school history.
Fab Freshmen
LSU has received quality minutes from five freshmen in 2018. Abbey Newton headlines the class with four goals scored to go along with three assists for a total of 11 points. Molly Thompson adder her third goal of the season in the regular season finale against Mississippi State and Shannon Cooke scored two crucial goals for the Tigers at the SEC Tournamen. Reese Moffatt has added an assist this season and played in all 23 matches. Meghan Johnson (has played in six matches) had the biggest moment of her young career on the biggest stage of her life on Oct. 30. With LSU tied 6-6 in penalties against Tennessee at the SEC Tournament, Johnson toed the spot with a chance to win it for the Tigers in the ninth round and her strike was phenomenal and sent LSU on to the SEC semifinals.