STARKVILLE, Miss. – The LSU Soccer Team (7-3-1, 2-1-0 SEC) will look to extend their SEC win streak at MSU Soccer Field as they take on No. 9 Mississippi State (8-1-0, 2-0-0 SEC) on Sunday, September 29 at 6:30 p.m. CT.
Sunday’s conference matchup will be the Tiger’s second game against a nationally ranked opponent this year. Mississippi State currently holds their highest national ranking in program history as they are currently on a five game win streak and unbeaten both in conference play and at home. State is riding a ten-game home unbeaten streak, which includes eight straight wins on their home pitch.
“We’re really looking forward to Sunday’s match and hopefully just continuing to build on these past few weeks. We’ve had some really good performances and have looked a lot more defensively compact” said head coach Sian Hudson. “We know that it’s going to be a hard battle in Starkville. Obviously James and Nick do a fantastic job in coaching a very hardworking and disciplined team. Managing the game and reading rhythms will be very important for us, as well as winning the midfield battle.”
“I think any environment you go into in the SEC can be difficult. I know the last time we played in Starkville on a Sunday they had a great crowd, and we fully expect that again, but playing in those atmosphere’s is what it’s all about in this conference. We are going to do our best to embrace it and find ways to beat it.”
The competition between the Tigers and the Bulldogs will be streamed on SECN+. The watch link and live stats link can be found here.
The stage is set for an exciting SEC showdown on Sunday night in Starkville, with both teams looking to gain an edge in SEC play.
The Opponent
LSU is 22-4-3 against Mississippi State in the all-time record. The last time the two teams competed was in 2023, when the Tigers came out victorious by a final score of 2-1 in Baton Rouge. The Tigers are 11-2-1 when facing the Bulldogs in Starkville.
Mississippi State enters Sunday’s match with their highest ranking in program history. Now ranked No. 9 in the country, they are fresh off an impressive 1-0 victory over then No. 11 Texas, marking their eighth win of the season.
State is riding a ten-game home unbeaten streak, which includes eight straight wins on their home pitch. The stage is set for an exciting SEC showdown.
MSU’s defense has allowed just two goals all season, contributing to a 0.22 goals-against average, one of the best in the country. Offensively, MSU has netted 18 goals across their nine matches, averaging two goals per game.
Maddy Anderson, one of the premier goalkeepers in the SEC, continues to shine for Mississippi State. With back-to-back shutouts against Oklahoma and then No. 11 Texas, she has elevated her career shutout total to 32, placing her among the top goalkeepers in the NCAA this season. Anderson ranks second in the nation for both shutouts and goals-against average (0.22), while also sitting fourth in save percentage at .917.
Tiger Notables
LSU tallied their second straight conference win last Thursday night after taking down SEC newcomer Oklahoma.
The Tigers are 7-3-1 (2-1-0 SEC) on the year and have marked wins over South Alabama (3-0), UMass Lowell (W, 3-0), Old Dominion (2-1), UL-Lafayette (3-1), San Francisco (4-1), Ole Miss (1-0) and Oklahoma (3-1), a draw against Utah (1-1) and losses to Arizona State (5-2), UC Davis (3-4) and Arkansas (0-1).
LSU has scored 25 goals through 11 matches this year. Ida Hermannsdóttir, Mollie Baker, Jazmin Ferguson, Angelina Thoreson, Ava Galligan, Andrea Iljkic, Amy Smith, Kelsey Major, Sage Glover, Gabbi Ceballos, Danielle Shannon and Ava Amsden have found themselves on the scoresheet.
On that same note, LSU has seen 12 different goal scorers through the regular season so far, with five players scoring the firsts of their career. Ferguson, Ceballos, Iljkic, Shannon and Amsden have all scored their first career goals at LSU this season.
Hermannsdottir leads the team with seven goals on the year, while Ava Galligan follows with four each.
The Tigers have recorded 16 assists across nine different players 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 189 shots on the year, with 87 of those being on target. Galligan leads the way with 29 shot attempts, while Hermannsdottir is just shortly behind with 28. The forward leads the shot on goal category with 16. Baker, Glover, Shannon, Smith, Iljkic and Thoreson have also been pivotal in attacking and have all tallied 10 or more shots on the year.
Galligan, Hermannsdottir and Cheesman all rank amongst the top 10 players in the SEC in shots, goals and assists, respectively. Scheving also sits in the top-10 of conference players in shutouts (3) and saves (27).
Currently, LSU shares the second spot in the SEC with their six points, along with Miss. St, South Carolina and Texas A&M. The Tigers rank in the top-10 in the SEC in shots, goals and assists. LSU has taken the fourth-most shots by any team in the conference so far this season.
The Tigers have recorded 2.27 goals per game compared to 1.36 from their opponents, and averages about 17.2 shots per game.
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. Hermannsdottir, Cheesman, Glover and Shannon are the only players to start in every match for LSU this year.
Last Time On The Pitch
The Tigers grabbed their second straight conference win of the year as they took down the Oklahoma Sooners by a score of 3-1 last Thursday night at the LSU Soccer Stadium.
“Anytime Matt Mott and the Sooners come to town, we know they are going to ask big questions of us and bring physical battles,” said LSU Head Coach Sian Hudson. “All credit to Oklahoma, they did not stop playing until the last whistle. I felt we had a really professional display in the second half and just managed the game.”
“Overall, I thought that we were great in the counterattack, which is something we’ve stressed since the Arkansas game this past week. I think the team is playing really well at the moment and I am really pleased.”
Sophomore forward Ava Galligan got the scoring started on the night in the 41st minute. Teammate Andrea Iljkic sent the ball through Oklahoma’s backline and found open space for Galligan to speed past two Sooner defenders. Galligan found herself in a one versus one with Oklahoma keep Caroline Duffy and calmly knocked the ball past her and into the back of the net.
“I thought Ava Galligan was fantastic leading the line for us,” said Hudson. The goal was Galligan’s fourth this year and eighth in her career at LSU.
The first half ended 1-0 in favor of the Tigers. LSU and Oklahoma both took three shots in the first 45 minutes, with the Tigers able to capitalize on one to take the early lead in Baton Rouge.
Ida Hermannsdottir, already the Tigers leading scorer, added another goal to her resume as she extended the Tiger lead in the 60th minute. The junior forward battled her way in the box through multiple Sooner defenders until she found herself just in front of the visiting keeper. She was able to find open space and took advantage to make the game 2-0.
After an unfortunate touch off the foot of Jazmin Ferguson, the Sooners got on board due to an own goal in the 72nd minute. The score was then 2-1.
The Tigers did not let that affect them as the squad kept their foot on the gas in their attack. Ava Amsden notched her first goal in the Purple and Gold after being fouled in the box and converting a penalty in the 80th minute. The freshman extended the Tiger advantage to two goals on the night.
“For Ava, not only to win the PK, but to step up as a freshman in that moment and slot it home, was fantastic.” said Hudson.
The Tigers won the match by a final score of 3-1, the most goals that the Sooners have allowed so far this season. Oklahoma outshot the Tigers 11 to five on the evening, but LSU was able to capitalize on their opportunities and find the back of the net in three of their four shots on target. Kelsey Major also tallied a shot on goal while Iljkic was credited the assist on Galligan’s goal.
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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