AUSTIN, Texas – The LSU Soccer team (2-1-0) took care of business in its first road game of the season on Thursday night after taking down No. 9 Texas (2-1-0) by a score of 3-1 at the Mike A. Myers Stadium and Soccer Field.
Head Coach Sian Hudson and LSU defeated Texas for the first time in series history to record the program’s first Top-10 win on the road. The Tigers victory ended the Longhorns 11-match winning streak at home.
A headed goal from Taylor Dobles in the 29th minute gave the Tigers the lead in the match. That lead was doubled in the 39th minute as Ida Hermannsdottir stepped up the penalty spot and buried the ball into the bottom corner. It became 3-0 on the night in the final minute of the first half as Dobles capitalized on a defensive error to score a one-on-one chance. Texas’ lone goal of the night came in the 52nd minute as Avery Clark scored with her right-foot from 12 yards out.
“I’m so proud of this team. Every week we have the desire to get better. It’s a togetherness. It was a fantastic performance for a Top-10 win on the road,” said head coach Sian Hudson. “We can use this same energy for bigger and better things as the season progresses.”
“We had some really big performances tonight. Rammie Noel was outstanding in the backline. Taylor Dobles showed her experience today as a fifth-year senior. She came off the bench and caused Texas problems and scored two goals. Ava Galligan had a huge moment of skill for the assist on the first goal as well.”
The match opened with high intensity as Mollie Baker tested Texas goalkeeper Mia Justus in the second minute with a shot from ten yards out that was saved by the Longhorn. The home team returned the favor a minute later when Texas’ Breana Thompson sent a shot on goal against LSU’s Mollee Swift, but the senior goalkeeper registered her first save of the night to keep the scoreline even.
The next twenty minutes saw both teams go back-and-forth looking for the opening goal. Justus denied the Tigers in the 14th minute while Swift picked up her second and third saves of the match in the 17th and 25th minutes.
The deadlock was broken in the 29th minute by the visiting Tigers. Ava Galligan sent a cross from the right-hand side to the back post that found the head of Rammie Noel. Noel’s header was centered to Dobles, who pounced with a header from six-yards out that powered back the Longhorn defender on the goal line to give LSU a 1-0 lead. The goal was Dobles’ first of the season while Galligan’s assist was her second on the year and Noel’s first this season.
LSU kept the pressure on and were rewarded for it in the 39th minute. Dobles was fouled in the box by a Longhorn defender, which saw a penalty be awarded to the Tigers. Hermansdottir stepped up to the penalty spot for the Tigers and made it 2-0 on the night when she slotted the ball into the bottom-right corner, beating the goalkeeper on pace. The goal took the Icelandic international’s tally up to three on the season, a team-high.
The Tigers struck once again in the final moments of the first half as Dobles made it 3-0 with her second goal of the night. A Texas defender was unable to clear a long-ball in a timely manner, which saw Dobles pounce on the defensive error and break away into a one-on-one chance. Dobles dribbled into the box and sent a strong shot from 15 yards out that skipped past the goalkeeper and made it 3-0. The brace was Dobles’ third of her collegiate career and her first goal of the year.
The second half opened with the Longhorns scoring their lone goal of the night in the 52nd minute. Trinity Byars beat her defender on the right flank and sent a precise cross to Avery Clark, who hit it first time with her right-foot from 12 yards out and into the back of the net.
Despite the early goal, LSU remained in control the rest of the way. The Longhorns had six shots after their first goal, but the quality of the chances were not there for them. Swift denied a second goal in the 58th with an outstretched leg and picked up her final save of the 68th minute on a weak ground shot. She finished the night with six saves.
“Mollee Swift in goal is instrumental for us,” said Hudson. “She brings so much experience to the pitch.”
The win is the first ranked victory for LSU since the Tigers defeated No. 4 Arkansas by a score of 4-2 in 2021. It is also the first ranked win on the road for the team since they defeated No. 21 Arizona State, 5-2, in Tempe that same season.
The Tigers return to action at 7 p.m. CT on Sunday night as they take on the Southern Jaguars inside the LSU Soccer Stadium. The game will be available to stream on SEC Network+ and live stats will be available on LSUSports.net