ATHENS, Ga. – The LSU Soccer team (7-5-2, 2-2-2 SEC) battled it out to a 1-1 draw against No. 17 Georgia (7-3-4, 3-1-2 SEC) on a rainy Sunday night inside Turner Soccer Complex.
LSU has not lost in Athens since 2016 as they will head back home with a point.
The Bulldogs opened the scoring on the day in the 75th minute when Kierra Staude’s powerful shot from the top of the box landed in the bottom right corner to give the home team a 1-0 lead. Only three minutes later, Georgia’s Maddy Herniter was sent off due to receiving a second yellow card, forcing the hosts to see out the final 12 minutes with only ten players. The equalizer came on the ensuing free kick, with the ball floated into the box and eventually finding its way into the back of the net for LSU via an own goal.
The first half was a quiet one, with neither team able to break through the other’s tough defense. Heavy rain rolled into the area around 20 minutes into the match, which only added to the difficulty of moving the ball. Neither team registered a shot on target in the first half nor created any real chances on frame, which meant the first 45 minutes ended in a 0-0 scoreline.
The second half began with the rain still pouring in, limiting the quality of chances created by either team. LSU’s best look of the game thus far came in the 61st minute as forward Ava Galligan broke free on the counter attack and into the box, beat her defender and had her cross to the back post collected by the Georgia goalkeeper.
The action ramped up in the final 20 minutes of play. LSU’s Audur Scheving registered her first save of the night in the 74th minute as she dove to her right to parry away a strong shot from a Georgia defender. Only one minute later, however, the Bulldogs took a 1-0 lead. Staude received the ball at the top of the box, took a touch into the box and ripped a powerful shot with her left foot across goal and into the bottom right corner.
The Tigers pushed for an equalizer. Galligan tested the goalkeeper in the 76th minute with a shot from eight yards out that forced Hannah Folliard to register her first save of the night, while Sariyah Bailey also took her fair share at testing the Georgia keeper.
The match took a turn when Georgia had a player sent off. The Tigers launched a counter attack from their own box, with midfielder Ida Hermansdottir leading the charge. Hermansdottir was fouled at midfield by Herniter, who received a second yellow card for the foul and was sent off as a result.
Only ten seconds after play resumed, LSU found the equalizer. A ball was lobbed into the box from the free kick, and after a few back and forth headers, the ball eventually did spill into the goal off the head of a Georgia defender to make it 1-1 on the night.
The final 12 minutes of the match saw neither team able to find a game winner despite a strong effort from LSU. The match ended in a 1-1 draw as it was an even battle in Athens on Sunday night. Both teams registered nine shots and one save each, while Georgia had more corner kicks.
LSU is back in action later this week for a Friday night match at the LSU Soccer Stadium, where they’ll host Texas A&M at 7 p.m. CT on October 10. The match will be broadcasted on the SEC Network+.
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