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Soccer Grabs 1-0 Road Win at Missouri in Regular Season Finale

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Soccer Grabs 1-0 Road Win at Missouri in Regular Season Finale

COLUMBIA, Mo. –  In a must-win game to keep postseason hopes alive, the LSU Soccer Team (8-7-3, 3-5-2 SEC) concluded their regular season with a 1-0 win at Missouri (5-10-2, 3-6-1 SEC) on Sunday afternoon inside Audrey J. Walton Stadium.

The lone goal of the match came in the 67th minute when midfielder Ida Hermansdottir’s powerful shot from eight yards blew by the Missouri goalkeeper and into the roof of the net.

“I am absolutely thrilled. We knew it was going to take a big player in a big moment for us and Ida stepped up. I am really proud of all the girls. We’ve talked this week about needing four points in our final two matches of the regular season, and they found a way to grind out two clean sheets here at the end of the season,” said head coach Sian Hudson.

“It was a massive team effort out there today. We had a ton of grit and resilience and got the job done. I don’t know who we’ll be playing yet in Pensacola, but I know that this team is coming up at the right time. We’re excited to go to the beach!”

With both teams looking to clinch a spot in the SEC Tournament, the match opened with a cagey first half that saw the chances limited on both ends. Goalkeeper Sophine Kevorkian stopped Missouri’s first shot on target in the 18th minute and picked up another save just before halftime in the 44th to keep the scoreline even.

For LSU, their best chance of the half came from forward Mollie Baker, who had a banger in the 35th minute from inside the box that hit the crossbar and fell straight down, just close enough to the goal line to call for VAR. After review, the shot was deemed not a goal after the entirety of the ball did not cross the goal line and the Tigers continued to fight to get on board. 

The second half picked up right where the first left off as neither team could break down the other in the first 20 minutes. Kevorkian caught her third save of the day in the 57th minute while Phillips denied forward Amy Smith’s effort in the 64th minute.

The breakthrough for LSU came in the 67th minute. Kevorkian launched a ball from outside her box to midfield, which was touched down by forward Andrea Iljkic into the path of Smith. Smith played a through ball to a bursting Hermansdottir, who broke into the box and smacked the ball past the goalkeeper and into the top of the net to give LSU a 1-0 lead. The crucial goal was the Icelandic international’s eighth of the season, and her first since her since the match against Oklahoma on September 26.

“What an unbelievable finish by Ida (Hermannsdottir). I don’t know that she could’ve put the ball anywhere else other than the top corner, but it was an absolute belter.”

LSU had 22 minutes to hold the lead and keep their postseason hopes alive. The visiting team nearly found a second goal in the 80th minute as defender Jazmin Ferguson’s header in the box required an acrobat leap from Phillips to parry away and keep Missouri within a goal.

The final 10 minutes saw the hosts throw all their players forward searching for an equalizing goal. Kevorkian denied Milena Fischer’s point-blank shot in the 84th minute before collecting her final save of the night in the 89th minute as she saved Brianna Buels’ shot in the box. That was the final big chance from Missouri as LSU saw out the remaining seconds to get the win.

Kevorkian finished the match with five saves and secured her second consecutive clean sheet in just her second start at LSU. The San Diego, California native stepped in between the sticks for the final two games of the season after Audur Scheving’s international call up for Iceland. Despite not playing prior to Thursday, Kevorkian helped the Tigers grab four points in SEC play in the final weekend of the season and contributed to her team securing a postseason berth.

Defenders Sydney Cheesman and Jazmin Ferguson and midfielder Gabbi Ceballos were also huge in the Tigers win in Columbia, added Hudson.

“Gabbi (Ceballos) was fantastic for us. She won so many balls out of the air. Jaz Ferguson and Sydney Cheesman were absolute beasts at center back. Everyone just chipped in.”

Pensacola Berth Clinched – Up Next

With the win, LSU moved up to 10th spot in the SEC standings with 11 points earned in conference play this season and clinched their spot in the 2024 SEC Tournament by guaranteeing a finish of 12th or higher. 

The Tigers could fall to 11th place if Tennessee defeats Florida in their matchup on Wednesday, October 30, but it’s now guaranteed that LSU will play in the first round of the SEC Championship on Sunday, November 3 at the Ashton Brosnaham Soccer Complex in Pensacola, Florida. 

LSU will kick off competition in Pensacola as either the No. 10 seed against No. 7 at 11:30 a.m. CT or as the No. 11 seed against the No. 6 at 2 p.m. CT next Sunday, with seeding set to be finalized after Wednesday’s final matches.

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