SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – The LSU Soccer team (4-3-0) is set to conclude their road trip out west against Utah (4-1-1) on Sunday, September 7 at 2 p.m. CT inside Ute Field.
Sunday afternoon’s match between the Tigers and the Utes will be the first between the two programs.
Live stats and streaming of the match can be found here.
The Matchup
Utah is 4-1-1 on the year, their best mark through six contests since they were 4-0-2 in 2014. They own wins over Gonzaga, Westminster, NC State and Washington, tallying 11 goals, 11 assists and 111 shots through six matches.
The Utes are coming off a win against Washington last Thursday. The main catalyst for the Utes over their last three matches has been midfielder Lilliah Blum. In their matchup against NC State, Blum marked the third straight game scoring, making her the first Ute to accomplish that feat since Ireland Dunn in 2019. Blum’s three goals also represent a new career-high for a full season.
Another Ute who has been earning herself a place on the scoresheet of late is Ali Swensen, who trails only Blum in total points on the roster. In Utah’s home opener against Westminster, she assisted on two of the Utes’ four goals and, against Wolfpack, she slotted home her first Utah goal in the second half. Swensen is one of five Utes who’ve logged their first score for the program in 2025.
Utah’s back line has remained sturdy, led in part by defenders Ava Hetzel and Brooklyn Blaylock, two of the team’s leaders in minutes played. In their last three fixtures, the Utes have limited their opponents to just seven total shots on goal, including giving up just one to N.C. State. Two of those affairs have also ended in shutouts.
Last Time On The Pitch
The Tigers fell to Utah Valley in their last match in Orem on Thursday night. While the Tigers made a strong effort to come back from a deficit, the Wolverines were able to defend their home pitch with a pair of second-half goals that propelled them to a win.
The Wolverines struck first in the 31st minute as Utah Valley defender Mia Owens found the feet of forward Faith Webber, who broke open the scoring with a left-footed strike from just outside the box into the goal past the sliding Kevorkian, but it didn’t take long for the Tigers to equalize.
In the 35th minute, Tiger forward Ava Galligan dribbled past the Utah Valley defense to the right side of the box and fired a missile off the cross bar from about 15 yards out. The ball took a hard bounce off the ground onto the head of a Wolverine defender, who misplaced it and sent it directly into the back of the net for an own goal, tying the game at 1-1.
The Wolverines retook the lead in the 58th minute when defender Greta Davis crossed the ball from the left side of the field to the center of the box towards defender Taylor Nelson. The ball deflected off a Tiger defender and into the bottom left corner of the goal, extending the lead for the home team to 2-1.
Utah Valley added an insurance goal in the 65th minute. Webber found herself deep in Tiger territory once again and buried a shot from 15 yards out to the bottom left corner of the goal for her second goal of the match.
The Tigers closed the gap in the 80th minute thanks to junior midfielder Gabbi Ceballos. Forward Ryann Denecour found Ceballos in the center of the box with a beautiful forward pass, and Ceballos quickly deposited it through the legs of the charging Wolverine goalkeeper into the back of the net, cutting the deficit to one. It was Ceballos’ first goal of the season and third as a Tiger.
The Tigers saw an opportunity to equalize in the 87th minute as Ceballos was awarded a free kick from just outside the box. Makenna Dominguez took the attempt for LSU, just nearly missing the goal with her shot just over the top.
While LSU outshot Utah Valley in the second half 10 to six, the Tigers were unable to find the equalizing goal to come back and defeat the Wolverines, suffering their third loss of the season.
Season Stats
LSU has four wins on their resume this year, most recently taking down UC Davis to remain undefeated at home (3-0). The squad also owns wins over South Alabama, FGCU and a top-25 victory over No. 21 Wisconsin. Their win over the Badgers was the program’s first ranked victory at home since 2021.
The Tigers have scored 15 goals on the year and currently sit in the top-10 in the SEC in shots (113), assists (12), saves (17) and goals entering tomorrow’s match.
Junior forward Ava Galligan is the Tigers leading scorer with four on the year thus far, which places her amongst the top-10 leading scorers in the SEC. Galligan scored the game winner in LSU’s match against No. 21 Wisconsin to secure the win over the nationally ranked Badgers.
Hermannsdottir, the second-highest active player in the conference with the most career goals (22), follows Galligan with three goals on the year while Witz owns two. Witz is a graduate transfer who joined the Tigers for her final season in 2025. Jazmin Ferguson, Kelsey Major, Gabbi Ceballos, Senai Rogers and Ryann Denecour have all tallied one goal each as well.
Freshman Sariyah Bailey has been outstanding on the attack for LSU in her debut season, tallying two assists that led to two goals for the Tigers over UC Davis. She owns three on the year.
Senior goalkeeper Sophine Kevorkian has started in every match in between the posts for LSU, tallying a 1.05 goals-against average (GAA), 12 saves and two shutouts through six matches. Her two shutouts are tied for the fourth-most in the conference currently.
There are multiple Tigers who have started in every match for LSU this year, including veteran centre back duo of Jazmin Ferguson and Sydney Cheesman. Jocelyn Ollivierre, Kelsey Major, Gabbi Ceballos, Makenna Dominguez, Galligan and Hermannsdottir are also six for six on the year.
2025 Schedule Overview
The Tigers’ 18-game regular season slate features eight home matches, including five pivotal SEC contests in Baton Rouge against Alabama, Missouri, Texas A&M, Kentucky, and Florida.
LSU opens SEC play on the road at Vanderbilt on Friday, Sept. 12, before hosting Alabama for its conference home opener on Thursday, Sept. 18 at 7 p.m. CT.
The “Strike Gold” theme for 2025 reflects the team’s championship aspirations as they pursue a fifth straight NCAA Tournament appearance. LSU has advanced to the postseason in four of Hudson’s first five years—the longest streak in program history.
“Our non-conference schedule is built to prepare us for the challenges of SEC play,” Hudson said. “Facing a national finalist like Wake Forest early will be a valuable test for our squad.”
Non-conference road tests include Wake Forest, Florida Gulf Coast, UCF, Utah Valley, and Utah. The regular season concludes in Baton Rouge with a marquee matchup against Florida on Sunday, Oct. 26 at 2 p.m. CT.
Postseason play begins with the SEC Tournament in Pensacola, Fla., on Nov. 2, followed by the NCAA Tournament on Nov. 14. The University of Kansas will host the 2025 Women’s College Cup at CPKC Stadium on Dec. 5 and 8.
Television Coverage
The Tigers television slate consists of three conference matches against Auburn, Missouri and Ole Miss, starting with a road conference matchup against Auburn at 6 p.m. CT on Thursday, September 25th on SEC Network.
The squad will be featured on TV twice in October with matchups against Missouri and Ole Miss. The battle of the Tigers is set for 5 p.m. CT on Thursday, October 2nd in Baton Rouge while LSU will travel to face the Rebels on Thursday, October 16th at 6 p.m. CT.
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