KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The LSU Soccer team (5-4-1, 0-1-1 SEC) will face No. 5 Tennessee (7-1-1, 1-1-0 SEC) for a ranked matchup on Sunday, September 21 at 1 p.m. CT in Regal Soccer Stadium.
Sunday’s match between the Tigers and the Volunteers will be streamed on SEC Network+. Live stats and streaming of the match can be found here.
The Matchup
LSU is 5-14-5 all-time against Tennessee, having beat the Volunteers 1-0 in Baton Rouge the last time they met during the 2023 season.
Tennessee soccer entered the 2025 season unranked but quickly entered the national polls after two top-five wins in three matches to start the season. Currently, the Lady Vols are No. 5 in United Soccer Coaches Poll rankings. UT’s highest ranking in the program’s history came in week four when the squad earned a No. 1 national ranking.
The Volunteers concluded their non-conference slate with an unbeaten overall record of 6-0-1. In that timespan, UT also shut out its opponents while scoring 19 goals. Through the seven matches of non-conference play, Tennessee has had eight different goal-scorers.
Their one loss on the season came in their SEC opener against Mississippi State, where the Bulldogs came out with a 3-2 win.
Tennessee shares third place in the conference rankings for most goals thus far with 23 total and are second in the assists category with 27. They’ve only allowed three goals this season, ranking first in the SEC in shut outs with eight on the year.
Last Time On The Pitch
LSU came up short in a 2-1 battle against Alabama last Thursday night at the LSU Soccer stadium.
The Tigers strong effort fell just short due to a deciding 83rd minute goal from Alabama that gave the Tide a 2-1 lead and ultimately leading to the Tigers dropping their SEC home opener. LSU had a three-match win streak at home prior to tonight’s result.
Both teams battled back and forth for the first 40 minutes of the match. Alabama was able to secure the opening goal with just three minutes left in the first half. The Tide were awarded a corner kick after Tiger defender Jazmin Ferguson made a great effort to clear the ball out of bounds from an Alabama attack. Alabama’s Nadia Ramadan took the corner and snuck it into the near top corner for an Olympico, giving the Tide a 1-0 lead. The score held into the halftime break.
The Tigers came out hot and got their first real chance in the 66th minute when freshman forward Sariyah Bailey fired a rocket from ten yards outside the box that hit the crossbar and came straight down, landing across the goal line and tying the score at 1-1. It was Bailey’s second goal of the season and of her young career.
LSU threatened again in the 75th minute thanks to a goal kick from Tiger goalkeeper Audi Scheving that traveled half the field and was knocked off the head of junior forward Ava Galligan to fellow forward and graduate student Morgan Witz. Witz had a one-on-one opportunity with the Tide goalkeeper in a chance to take the lead, but missed just wide.
In the 83rd minute, Alabama forward Gianna Paul crossed the ball into the center of the Tiger territory, where it was kicked out to the top of the box. The ball found the feet of Alabama’s Ramadan who struck the ball to the goalkeeper’s right before it deflected off a Tiger defender and into the back of the net. The brace gave Ramadan her third and fourth goals of the year.
The remaining seven minutes of the match saw Alabama hold off the energetic Tiger attacks as LSU looked to equalize yet again. The Tide were able to come out successful in the match and hold onto the 2-1 victory.
Both squads tallied a total of 12 shots with the Tigers knocking three on goal and the Tide five. Scheving finished the night with three saves for LSU, moving her total to 11 on the year.
Season Stats
LSU is currently receiving votes for a spot in the national rankings by the United Soccer Coaches Poll. The Tigers have five wins on their resume this year, last taking down Utah on the road. The Purple & Gold squad owns wins over South Alabama, FGCU, UC Davis and a top-25 victory over No. 21 Wisconsin this year. Their win over the Badgers was the program’s first ranked victory at home since 2021.
The Tigers have scored 18 goals on the year and currently sit in the top-10 in the SEC in shots (139), assists (13), saves (29) and goals entering tomorrow’s match.
Junior forward Ava Galligan is the Tigers leading scorer with five on the year thus far, which places her amongst the top-10 leading scorers in the SEC (tied for eighth-most). 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.
Freshman Sariyah Bailey has been outstanding on the attack for LSU in her debut season, tallying two goals of her own this year and three assists. Jazmin Ferguson, Kelsey Major, Gabbi Ceballos, Senai Rogers and Ryann Denecour have all tallied one goal each as well.
Senior goalkeeper Sophine Kevorkian started in the first seven matches in between the posts for LSU, tallying a 1.34 goals-against average (GAA), 17 saves and two shutouts through six matches.
Scheving, the junior from Iceland, has earned the starting keeper position for LSU in their last three matches, earning a clean sheet in two. She owns 11 saves on the year.
There are multiple Tigers who have started in every match for LSU this year, including veteran centre back and captain Jazmin Ferguson, as well as Jocelyn Ollivierre, Kelsey Major, and Ida Hermannsdottir.
2025 Schedule Overview
The Tigers’ 18-game regular season slate features eight home matches, including five pivotal SEC contests in Baton Rouge that kicked off last Thursday against Alabama, followed by Missouri, Texas A&M, Kentucky, and Florida.
The team’s “Strike Gold” theme for 2025 reflects the program’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.
The Tigers 2025 non-conference schedule was built to prepare them for the challenges of SEC play as they enter the conference stretch.
Some of LSU’s non-conference road tests included Wake Forest, Florida Gulf Coast, UCF, Utah Valley, and Utah. The Tigers will conclude the regular season 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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