Tallahassee, Fla. – The LSU soccer team lost its second round NCAA Tournament match on Friday afternoon to the fourth-seeded USC Trojans, 2-0, at Seminole Soccer Stadium. The loss finalized LSU’s record for the 2018 campaign at 13-7-4. USC improved to 17-2-2 and advanced to the third round.
Playing the unquestioned best No. 4 seed in the tournament, the Tigers held the Trojans at bay throughout the first 35 minutes of the match before Savannah DeMelo gave the Trojans the lead from inside the six after Julia Bingham made a sliding cross into the six.
Caroline Brockmeier made three saves in the match to establish herself as the all-time leader in LSU history with 287 saves. The save that broke Megan Kinneman‘s record came off the foot of Natalie Jacobs in the 26th minute. Her final two saves of the match came in the second half.
After only taking one shot in the first half, the Tigers came out and put the pressure on the Trojans less than a minute into the second half. Possessing the ball down the left side of the pitch, sophomore Lucy Parker‘s initial cross was blocked and the ball bounced back to her. Parker then took a curling left-footed shot from about 24 yards out towards the far post that forced Kaylie Collins, USC’s keeper, to make a leaping save. That shot wound up being LSU’s best offensive chance of the match. The Tigers’ only other shot on goal came off the foot of sophomore Tinaya Alexander in the 64th minute from range.
USC doubled its lead in the 58th minute when Tara McKeown headed home a goal with the assist going to Jalen Woodward. The two-goal deficit was the first for LSU since it trailed 3-1 to Florida on Sept. 23, a streak that went back 14 games.
Quotes of Note
“Certainly proud of our girls over the last 6-8 weeks. It’s been a memorable run. For our seniors, I couldn’t be any happier for all three of them. The role they played in this was massive. They’ve really set the program in a tremendous direction in the coming years.” – Head Coach Brian Lee
“In the coming years, we’ll look back at these three seniors and say this is the season (2018) where we turned the corner to where this is the level we’re playing at now.” – Head Coach Brian Lee
“I’ve had a unique experience. My freshman year was a great season, but the development we’ve made as a program … on the field and off the field. I couldn’t have asked for more. To know that we have developed so much and we’ve reached goals that no other LSU team has reached is just a dream come true.” – Senior Alex Thomas
“It’s unreal. I couldn’t have asked for a better senior season. The team has helped me a lot. They’ve had my back and I’ve had theirs.” – Senior Goalkeeper Caroline Brockmeier
Notes
- LSU’s senior class of Caroline Brockmeier, Alex Thomas and Chrissy Pitre combined to make 212 appearances during their careers; Thomas had 83, Pitre had 68 and Brockmeier had 61.
- This was LSU’s third trip to the Round of 32 in program history
- The Tigers finished the season 13-7-4; it is the 11th time in 14 years under head coach Brian Lee that the Tigers have finished with a win percentage of .500 or higher
- Brockmeier is the school record holder with 287 career saves
- LSU will return 73 of its 91 points (.802) to the roster for 2019