OXFORD, Miss. – The LSU Soccer team (5-3-1) were defeated by the Ole Miss Rebels (5-2-1) by a score of 1-0 on Friday night in the Ole Miss Soccer Stadium.
The lone goal of the night came in the 20th minute as Kelly Brady converted from the penalty spot with a shot to the bottom left corner.
“Really disappointed with the result tonight as we were the better team, but we didn’t show enough quality in the final third tonight to break down Ole Miss with the large number of players they put behind the ball,” said head coach Sian Hudson. “We have to improve at creating quality chances, not settling for shots from distance and our runs in the box to finish off the cross. I do think we can take a lot of heart out of the large number of chances we created, the possession we had and the way we kept fighting until the death.”
“I’m looking forward to my first trip to Athens on Thursday for a matchup versus Georgia. They had a good result on the road at Alabama last night, which I’m sure will breed confidence. Keidane is a great coach and we expect a great game.”
The game opened with high energy from both teams as they went up and down the pitch seeking an opening goal. The Tigers had the first shot on goal in the 13th minute as Ava Galligan shot on a free-kick from outside the box that was saved by Ole Miss goalkeeper Shu Ohba. The Rebels returned the energy on the other side of the field as Meredith King had a shot off target in the 17th minute.
In the 20th minute, Gili Johnson received a cross in the box and sent a first time shot on goal that was blocked by the outstretched arm of an LSU defender, which saw the referee award a penalty kick to Ole Miss. Brady stepped up to the spot for the Rebels and placed the ball into the bottom left corner to make it 1-0 on the night.
Despite going one goal down, the Tigers never lost their energy and pressed on looking for an equalizer. LSU had shots in the 21st, 24th and 29th minute, but could not direct them on goal. Forward Mollie Baker sent in a strong left-footed effort on frame in the 40th minute, but it was parried wide by Ohba. Ohba collected a long-ranged effort from Raelyn Prince in the 42nd minute to finish the half with three saves.
The Rebels took the 1-0 lead into halftime in Oxford.
The second half played out similarly to the first with the Tigers dominating possession, but unable to convert in the final third. Neveah Johnson had a strong header blocked by an Ole Miss defender in the 52nd minute. Five minutes later in the 58th minute, Ohba denied a shot on goal by Baker to keep the match 1-0.
In the 61st minute, Swift made a crucial save that kept the Tigers in the match. Against the run of play, Ole Miss broke on the counterattack. Brady bursted ahead of the LSU defense and tried poking a shot past Swift, who rushed forward and blocked the shot with an outstretched leg. Swift would pick up two more saves in the 64th and 72nd minutes to finish the night with four saves.
Ohya picked up another save in the 75th minute as she caught a powerful free kick taken by Swift. The Tigers pressed on until the end looking for an equalizer, but could break the defense that the Rebels set in the box. The final chance of the night came in the final minute as Hermansdottir headed the ball from the top of the box that was collected by Ohya for her seventh and final save of the night.
LSU outshot Ole Miss by a margin of 22-9, with the Tigers having seven shots on goal compared to the Rebels’ five. LSU won the possession battle by a margin of 55% to Ole Miss’s 45%. The Tigers controlled the tempo throughout the night, but were unable to convert their chances in the final third.
The Tigers continue conference play on the road next week against No. 23 Georgia on Thursday, September 21 at 5 p.m. CT inside Turner Soccer Complex.