TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – The LSU Soccer team (8-5-1, 3-3-0 SEC) will hit the road for their fourth ranked matchup of the year as they face No. 24 Alabama (8-3-4, 2-3-1 SEC) on Friday, October 13 at 7 p.m. CT inside the Alabama Soccer Stadium.
“We expect a great match in Tuscaloosa in front of their home fans. The pressure is on when you get to the home stretch of SEC games, but you just have to manage territory well and be dialed in on set pieces,” head coach Sian Hudson said. “It’s been really good to see how our team has been progressing as we have really tightened up in the backline and been better in possession. We challenged them to be more opportunistic in the attacking third and creating more dangerous spaces. Just seeing what we can create in terms of trying to force opponents to place in front of their own goal.”
“Our adjustment with Mollie Baker in the midfield in the recent weeks has been sort of a resurgence in our form. We have to win the midfield battle and be ready to compete. Alabama is a really intentional and pressing team, so we’re going to have to be able to play under pressure. In transition moments, we are going to have opportunities to get at their back line and I think we can cause them problems with the players and the pace that we have on our front line. The most important thing from us, after building from our last two matches, is a disciplined defensive performance.”
The competition between the Tigers and the Crimson Tide will be available via livestream on SEC Network Plus and live stats for the game can be found on lsusports.net.
Series History
Alabama will be the 30th all-time meeting between the two programs.
The Tigers are 9-14-6 against the Tide, with the last meeting being in 2022 when Alabama defeated LSU 5-0 in Baton Rouge.
Last Time On The Pitch
The LSU Soccer team (8-5-1, 3-3-0 SEC) defeated the Tennessee Volunteers (6-3-4, 1-2-3 SEC) by a score of 1-0 on Sunday afternoon at the LSU Soccer Stadium for the first time in the regular season since 2011.
LSU scored the game-winner in the 51st minute on a shot from inside the box thanks to the combination of forwards Ava Galligan and Rammie Noel. Goalkeeper Mollee Swift led the Tigers defensively, producing seven saves and recording a clean sheet despite the Volunteer’s efforts.
The opening 25 minutes of the match was dominated by the Volunteers, with Tennessee producing seven shots on goal only 23 minutes in. LSU keeper Mollee Swift made her first save on the day on a shot from Tennessee forward Kameron Simmonds in the second minute of the match.
In the 6th minute, Tennessee forward Kate Runyon forced Swift to make a save, followed immediately by a second shot from Runyon that was then saved by LSU defender Caley Swierenga.
Swift collected two more saves against Runyon in the 10th and 12th minute of the match. Tennessee continued tallying shots in the 18th and 23rd minutes, produced by midfielder Jenna Stayart and defender Maria Nelson.
Following an offensive push from Tennessee, LSU forward Sage Glover notched the Tiger’s first shot on target in the 31st minute with a shot to the bottom right that was saved by Volunteer keeper Abigail Reisz.
Tennessee threatened one final time in the 44th minute, but the scoring chance was called offside. Neither team could find the advantage as the Tigers and the Volunteers entered halftime scoreless. Tennessee won the possession battle in the first half with nine shots compared to LSU’s one. Swift recorded six saves in the first half with the team producing one other save.
The start of the second half began with the Tigers scoring the first goal of the match in the 51st minute. Noel sent a cross into the box that found Galligan, who tapped the ball into the back of the net to give the Tigers the 1-0 lead on the day. It was Galligan’s second goal of her career and Noel’s third assist of the year.
In the 53rd minute, Tiger forward Mollie Baker delivered a heat seeker shot that bounced off the crossbar and ended with an offside call on Noel attempting to get the rebound. LSU saw another scoring chance as Galligan forced a breakaway on an intercepted pass in the 57th minute, but failed to score as Volunteer defender Lawson Renie tallied the save.
LSU kept the pressure on in the second half with another strong shot from Baker in the 63rd minute, this one saved by a magnificent diving effort from Volunteer goaltender Ally Zazzara. Following a corner kick, Tiger midfielder Jaden Humbyrd produced her own power shot that was answered by another diving save from Zazzara.
Baker had her third strong shot of the game at the 76th minute mark, this time from the center of the box, but yet again Zazzara had an answer to the LSU forward.
Tennessee could not muster a response in the final 14 minutes of the match and the final whistle blew with LSU claiming a 1-0 win. The Volunteers outshot the Tigers by a margin of 13-11, with the Volunteers also edging the Tigers on shots on goal with a margin of 8-7.
While Tennessee opened the match strong, LSU’s defense was able to prevail with a clean sheet performance that earned the Tigers their first win in the regular season versus Tennessee since 2011 and their fifth victory all time over the Volunteers.
Following an aggressive first half, LSU came out for the second half with a different energy. LSU had ten second half shots compared to their single shot in the first half.
2023 Stat Leaders
The Tigers are 8-5-1 on the year with a 2-3 record on the road as the squad gets ready to face No. 24 Alabama in Tuscaloosa.
Forwards Taylor Dobles and Sage Glover and midfielder Ida Hermannsdottir lead the Tiger’s in goals scored this year with four each.
Glover joined the team top-scorers after tallying her fourth goal on the year in the squad’s match against Mississippi State on Sunday. Her previous goals have come against Southern, Texas A&M-Commerce and No. 22 Georgia. She now owns eight in her career.
Dobles tallied her second brace of the year against Northwestern State to record her third and fourth goals of the year and move her career total to nine.
Hermannsdottir notched her fourth goal of the year against Pepperdine to move her career total to 11. The midfielder has also tallied two assists, 10 shots on goal and 10 points this season.
Noel and Baker sit as the second highest goal-scorers with three each. Noel tallied her third goal in the Tiger’s win over No. 22 Georgia after finding the net against Southern and Texas A&M-Commerce while Baker notched two goals against Southern Miss and one against Southern.
There have been various players across the scoresheets this year, putting the Tigers in an elite group of programs who have 10 or more different goal-scorers in the country.
Baker has notched 49 shots, with 21 being on target, through 1,023 minutes played.
Baker and freshman forward Ava Galligan lead the team in assists with four each. Galligan has also notched two goals, eight points and eight shots on goal in her first year as a Tiger. Her first collegiate goal came against Pepperdine, where she found the equalizer and then again for the game-winner against Tennessee.
Goalkeeper Mollee Swift has recorded 42 saves on the year with over 1,000 minutes played in between the posts. She owns a GAA of 1.36.
Veteran returners Baker, Swift, and Gordon are the only four players to start in every match for LSU on the year, having tallied over a combined 3,000 minutes on the pitch through 14 matches.
Conference Rankings
LSU sits at sixth in the league and fourth in the SEC West with their record of 3-3-0 in conference play after getting back in the win column on Sunday evening.
The Tigers rank amongst the top five teams in the conference in goals, points and assists. LSU has tallied 28 goals, 27 assists and 83 points through 14 matches this year. The squad has also recorded 207 shots, with 96 of those being on target.
Baker’s 49 shots on the year place her fourth in the conference while her and Galligan are amongst the top-10 assisters with four each, respectively.
Swift ranks third with her 42 saves on the year while also placing third for shutouts combined with three.
Tigers vs. Ranked Opponents
LSU has faced three ranked opponents in 2023 and are 2-1-0 on the season in ranked matchups.
The Tigers defeated No. 9 Texas on the road early in the season 3-1 followed by another 3-2 road win at No. 22 Georgia.
The squad fell to No. 13 South Carolina by a score of 1-0 in Columbia and are looking to bounce back with another ranked road victory on Friday night in Tuscaloosa.
All ranked matchups for the Tigers this season have come on the road, but are preparing to host ranked teams in Baton Rouge with Arkansas next week.
Galligan Named To Top Drawer Soccer Top 100 Freshmen List
Forward Ava Galligan was named to Top Drawer Soccer’s midseason Top 100 freshman list, released by the organization on Wednesday morning.
Galligan placed as the No. 39 freshmen in the country as she owns two goals, four assists and 23 shots in her debut season with the Tigers this year.
A native of Ashburn, Virginia, Galligan has earned the start in 11 out of the squad’s 14 matches in her first year as a Tiger. With over 800 minutes played thus far, the freshman continues to prove herself as an offensive weapon on the pitch.
The freshman leads the squad in assists with four, along with teammate Mollie Baker. Both rank amongst the top-10 players in the league in assists.
Galligan’s first collegiate goal came against Pepperdine as she scored the equalizer to help her team earn a point on a draw against the Waves. Most recently, she scored the game-winner against Tennessee on a cross from Rammie Noel to defeat the Volunteers 1-0 and secure the Tigers third conference win.
The Captains
LSU is captained by the veteran duo of fifth year seniors Maya Gordon and Mollee Swift for the 2023 season.
A native of Papillion, Nebraska, Swift is a three-year starter between the posts for the Tigers. The goalkeeper recorded 77 saves last year, which placed her third in the conference. She also averaged 4.05 saves per game leading all SEC keepers. She was responsible for five clean sheets in the 2022 season and finished the year with a record of 7-4-7 and 1,693 minutes played.
Swift currently ranks third in LSU program history in saves and shutouts as she will look to continue to etch her name in the record book this year.
Gordon is a veteran in the backline who has notched notable minutes in her four years at LSU with a total of 4,775 minutes on the pitch heading into her final season.
The Fort Lauderdale, Florida, native earned the start in 18 of 19 matches for the Tigers last year and returns experience to the defensive unit.
The Squad
This year, the roster is composed of 28 athletes with nine seniors, three juniors, 11 sophomores and five freshmen. 21 Tigers return from the 2022 roster who made a run to the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
There are seven new faces on the 2023 squad, including freshman Caley Swierenga, Andrea Iljkic, Ava Galligan, Brielyn Knowles and Alyson Campbell. New to the squad this year is also sophomore transfer out of Oklahoma, Hali Hartman, and walk-on Sarah Portis.
Fifth-year veterans Mollee Swift and Maya Gordon are key returners as they lead the squad as captains this upcoming season. Also returning are seniors Rammie Noel, Taylor Dobles, Jordan Johnson, Abby Smith, Britney Bertram, Mollie Baker and Bella Zanotelli, who bring experience and depth to the squad.
The junior class is composed of Nevaeh Johnson, Tori Gillis and Jaden Humbyrd. Danielle Shannon, Laney Gonzales, Bailey Herfurth, Jocelyn Ollivierre, Ida Hermannsdóttir, Angelina Thoreson, Kelsey Major Raelyn Prince and Sage Glover are ready for year two in the purple and gold.
Three countries are represented in this year’s squad (United States, Iceland and Sweden). Ida Hermannsdottir is a native of Iceland and Angelina Thoreson is a proud Swede.
Of the remaining 26 athletes, six are native to Colorado, five to Texas, and four to Louisiana and Florida. The remaining states that are represented are Arizona, New York, Virginia, Nebraska, Virginia and Washington.
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