DAVIS, Calif. – The LSU Soccer Team (5-1-1) will close out non-conference play against UC Davis (6-2-0) on Sunday, September 15 at noon CT on the Aggie Soccer Field.
“Tomorrow’s match is important as we look to close out non-conference play on a high note and bring home six points. UC Davis has played some really strong opponents and have quality wins. I think they’re a West Coast team that has some SEC qualities, so this will not only be a big test for us, but also great preparation for us for conference play next week,” said head coach Sian Hudson.
“They score a lot of goals from in the box and have quality flank play, which is something we’ll see next week against Arkansas. In recent weeks we’ve been really good in counter attack moments and attacking set pieces. Those will be really important for us tomorrow.”
The squad’s last competition in California with the Aggies will be streamed on ESPN+. The watch link and live stats link can be found here.
The Opponent
Sunday afternoon’s match between the Tigers and the Aggies will be the first time the two teams meet in program history.
UC Davis improved its Big West-leading record to 6-2 after four weeks of non-conference action. The Aggies sit atop the Big West standings and are the only team in the conference above .500.
In their last match, the Aggies showcased one of their finest performances of the season, dominating Utah Valley in a 3-0 victory. It was their third shutout of the season.
The Aggies are led by recently named Preseason All-Big West selection Sam Tristan up front, with a plethora of returning experience that includes five more former All-Big West selections.
Emma Vane leads the midfield for the Aggies, who, like Holley, was an All-Big West First Team selection in 2022. Along with Vane, Genavieve Fontes and Ashleigh Garcia round out the expected crew of midfielders for UC Davis.
Jayde Holley leads the backline for UC Davis. With Holley, the Aggie backline will also feature a trio of defenders with plenty of game experience, including Bella Mayo, who was recognized on the All-Big West Second Team a season ago, All-Big West Freshman recognition Elise Picard, and Taylor Dever, who has recently made the switch to center back.
The Aggies have scored 18 goals this year and recorded 104 shots (45 on target) and 16 assists.
Tiger Notables
LSU enters their final non-conference match on Sunday afternoon. The Tigers are currently undefeated on the road, with an away record of 4-0.
The Tigers own a record of 5-1-1 on the year, having marked wins over South Alabama (W, 3-0), UMass Lowell (W, 3-0), Old Dominion (2-1), UL-Lafayette (3-1) and San Francisco (4-1), a draw against Utah (T, 1-1) and one loss to Arizona State (L, 5-2).
LSU has scored 18 goals through seven matches so far this year as Ida Hermannsdottir, Jazmin Ferguson, Angelina Thoreson, Ava Galligan, Andrea Iljkic, Amy Smith, Kelsey Major, Sage Glover, Gabbi Ceballos and Danielle Shannon have found themselves on the scoresheet.
LSU has seen 10 different goal scorers through non-conference play so far.
Ferguson, Ceballos and Shannon have all scored their first career goals at LSU this year. Ferguson’s came in the squad’s first match against South Alabama, Ceballos scored her first against UL-Lafayette and Shannon’s came against San Francisco.
Hermannsdottir leads the team with six goals on the year, while Ava Galligan follows with three.
The Tigers have recorded 11 assists so far this year, with junior Sydney Cheesman leading the way. The UNC transfer has been pivotal in set pieces for LSU, recording a team high four assists on the year.
Overall, LSU has taken 139 shots on the year, with 63 of those being on target. Galigan leads the way with 22 shot attempts, while Baker, Hermannsdottir, Shannon and Smith have tallied 10 or more shots on the year. Hermannsdottir leads the team with shots on target with 13.
Galligan, Hermannsdottir and Cheesman all rank amongst the top 10 players in the SEC in shots, goals and assists, respectively. Overall, LSU sits in the top-10 in the SEC in shots and goals.
The Tigers have outshot their opponents in all but one match, recording roughly 20 shots per game, compared to 6.7 from their opponents.
Scheving, the sophomore from Iceland who is in her first year with the Tigers, has started in between the posts for the Tigers in every match thus far. She has recorded 14 saves and two shutouts.
Hermannsdottir, Ferguson, Cheesman, Baker, Glover, Shannon, Scheving and Caley Swierenga are the only players to start in every match for LSU this year.
Last Time On The Pitch
The Tigers began their West Coast road trip with a win as they defeated San Francisco by a score of 4-1 last Thursday night in Negoesco Stadium.
“Overall, the team’s effort in the first half was fantastic. San Francisco has frustrated some really good teams across the West Coast so far this season, so to come here tonight and score four goals on them was a testament to our attacking prowess,” said head coach Sian Hudson. “On the defensive end of the field, I thought Audi (Scheving) had two really big moments for us tonight. I’m really pleased to see her get into her own before SEC play starts next week. Gabbi (Ceballos) also played a huge part.”
Junior forward Ida Hermannsdottir opened up scoring on Thursday night in the 14th minute. Gabbi Ceballos sent a through ball to the feet of Hermannsdottir, who broke through the back line of defenders and confidently took a shot right over San Francisco keeper Kira Ybarra to give LSU the 1-0 lead. The goal marked her fifth of the season and 16th of her career. The assist was Ceballos’s second of the year.
Midfielder Danielle Shannon claimed her first career goal at LSU in the 30th minute of the match. A pass from Amy Smith found the feet of Shannon at the top of the box, who then sped past three defenders and took a left footed shot that found the upper left.
Ava Galligan wanted one for herself as she tallied a goal nearly two minutes later. The sophomore took a shot from the outside wing that just got past Ybarra and extended the Tiger lead on the night. It was Galligan’s third goal of the year and seventh in her career.
The Tigers came out hot and outshot the Dons eight to five, with four on target, as the first 45 minutes ended 3-0 in favor of LSU.
The Dons took 11 shots in the second half in an attempt to close the gap, but only four were on target with three of those being denied by LSU keeper Audi Scheving.
San Francisco got on the board late in the second half when forward Natalie Drotzmann found the back of the net to make the score 3-1. Erika Braun provided the assist on the goal.
Ida Hermannsdottir put the match to rest in the 84th minute when she scored her second goal of the evening to extend the Tiger lead, 4-1. With that goal, Hermannsdóttir achieved her second brace in two consecutive matches.
“The final goal there was crucial for us just to put the game to bed,” Hudson added. “Ida is in great form and is playing fantastic for us right now. She is a catalyst in our attack.”
Preseason Watchlist
Five Tigers on the LSU Soccer squad were named to the 2024 SEC Soccer Preseason Watchlist. A total of 88 student-athletes were named to this year’s watchlist, as Mollie Baker, Jazmin Ferguson, Ida Hermannsdóttir, Ava Galligan and Sydney Cheesman are the Tigers to keep an eye on this year.
Baker, Hermannsdottir and Galligan all return to LSU this year, while Ferguson and Cheesman transferred to the team this spring and enter their first season in the Purple and Gold.
A captain and leader on this year’s LSU squad, Baker enters her final season with the Tigers in 2024. The Gilbert, Arizona native was the only player to appear and start in all 20 matches for the Tigers last year. The forward tallied three goals, five assists, and 1,551 minutes on the pitch while earning United Soccer Coaches All-Southeast Region Third Team honors in 2023.
A native of Reykjivic, Iceland, Hermannsdottir continues to be one of the top midfielders to watch in the nation. She enters year three at LSU with 11 goals, four assists and 2,366 minutes in her career.
Galligan, a dual forward/midfielder out of Ashburn, Virginia, enters her second year with the Tigers after a breakout debut season in 2023. She recorded four goals, five assists and played in all 20 matches in her freshman season.
Ferguson joined the squad from East Carolina University, where she spent two seasons and was the 2023 American Athletic Conference Co-Defensive Player of the Year. A native of Conyers, Georgia, she will serve as a vice captain on the squad as she enters her junior season this upcoming fall. United Soccer Coaches named her a defender to watch in 2024.
Cheesman is a defender out of Lafayette, Colorado, who transferred to LSU from the University of North Carolina, where she tallied 175 minutes on the pitch in her nine games played and helped lead the Tar Heels to two NCAA Tournament appearances. The defender was rated four stars by Top Drawer Soccer in the recruiting rankings in 2022 prior to starting her collegiate career at UNC.
The Coaching Staff
Hudson enters her fifth season with the Tigers this year. Since beginning her tenure at LSU in 2019, she has propelled the program to unprecedented success alongside Associate Head Coach Seb Furness, who joined the coaching staff that same year.
Joining them on staff is Assistant Coaches Antony Blackburn and Conor Cable. Blackburn is a native of Derby, England, who initially joined the Tigers in Fall 2023 as an analyst. He will primarily assist with session planning and delivery, individual development plans, and opposition preparation. Prior to LSU, Blackburn served as Head Coach of Valencia C.F. U14’s (Valencia, Spain), one of the most prestigious academies in the world of professional soccer.
Cable joins the Tigers from Lake Erie College, where he spent five years helping lead the storm to new heights. Cable will primarily lead the LSU goalkeeping unit and oversee LSU Soccer community service and outreach events.
The Spalding, England native brings a wealth of experience to Baton Rouge from both his previous work with the Lake Erie goalkeeping unit and his own professional experiences. Cable came through the professional system in England, playing for a variety of Premier League and Championship Clubs including Norwich City and Cardiff City, and spent his youth academy days at Bristol City Football Club.
Under Hudson’s leadership, the LSU Tigers achieved significant milestones during the 2023 season, marking their ninth NCAA Tournament appearance and third consecutive postseason showing—the most straight appearances by a coach in LSU history. Notably, Hudson secured her first LSU NCAA Tournament victory with a first-round win against Lamar on November 11, 2022.
This upcoming season, Hudson and her staff will look to earn her fourth consecutive and LSU’s 10th overall NCAA appearance. The Tigers also hope to secure the program’s 14th ten-win season while in pursuit of an SEC and national championship.
Attendance is another important component for the Tigers, as Hudson and her staff are striving to set new attendance records inside the LSU Soccer Stadium in 2024. Three of the program’s top ten largest crowds occurred under Hudson’s tenure.
The 2024 Roster
This year’s team is a mix of youth and experience. The roster is made up of 29 players, with one graduate student, two seniors, seven juniors, nine sophomores and 10 freshmen.
Mollie Baker and Jaden Humbyrd will lead the squad as captains this year, while ECU transfer Jazmin Ferguson will serve as the vice captain.
LSU has welcomed four new transfers for this upcoming season in Ferguson, Cheesman, Sophine Kevorkian (USD) and Gabbi Ceballos (TCU).
The veteran seniors include Baker, Humbyrd and Tori Gillis, who all enter their final season with the Tigers this year.
Kevorkian, Ferguson, Hermannsdottir, Cheesman, Jocelyn Ollivierre, Angelina Thoreson and Sage Glover make up the junior class.
Thoreson returns to the pitch this year after sitting out of the 2023 season due to injury.
The sophomores on the squad are Ceballos, Danielle Shannon, Kelsey Major, Audur Scheving, Caley Swierenga, Andrea Iljkic, Ava Galligan, Brielyn Knowles and Alyson Campbell.
The freshmen class includes Riley MacDonald, Amy Smith, Annaleigh Bruser, Katelyn Holt, Emerson DeLuca, Ava Amsden, Aurora Gaines, Senai Rogers, Sarah Stadler and Natalie Dvorakova.
The addition of Scheving to the squad brings LSU’s total to four internationals on the roster. She is the second player to become a Tiger from Reykjavik, Iceland, along with Hermannsdottir. Other countries represented on the squad are Sweden and Czechia.
The full 2024 LSU Soccer Roster can be found here.
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