BATON ROUGE, La. – Five members of the LSU Soccer team were recognized by the Southeastern Conference on Thursday as the league announced its 2025 All-SEC postseason awards. Forward Ava Galligan, midfielder Ida Hermannsdottir, defender Sydney Cheesman, defender Jazmin Ferguson, and forward Sariyah Bailey all earned conference honors following standout seasons for the Tigers thus far.
Galligan was named First Team All-SEC, Hermannsdottir and Cheesman were selected to the Second Team, while Ferguson and Bailey each landed on the Third Team. Bailey was also named to the SEC All-Freshman Team, marking one of only three freshmen league-wide to appear on multiple lists.
This year’s honor marked the first in their career for Galligan, Ferguson and Bailey, while it was the second award for Cheesman in her career and third for Hermannsdottir. All voting was conducted by the league’s 16 coaches.
A junior from Ashburn, Virginia, Galligan leads the Tigers with eight goals and 19 total points in 18 appearances this season, including a team-high five game-winning goals. The forward has been vital for the LSU offense all year, recording braces in wins over Florida and FGCU. She currently ranks among the league’s top scorers with a .195 shot percentage and 41 total shot attempts, with 19 of those being on goal.
Her first career placement on the All-SEC First Team comes after earning the final SEC Offensive Player of the Week honor of the regular season on Monday.
Hermannsdottir, a consistent force in the midfield, earned Second Team honors after totaling six goals and five assists across 18 starts. The Iceland native converted three of four penalty kicks on the season and logged a .625 shots-on-goal percentage, ranking second on the team in both goals and total points (17). She currently sits in the top-10 all-time in LSU Soccer history with the most career goals (25).
This year’s All-SEC honors marks the third for Hermannsdottir in her career. She earned All-SEC Third Team honors in 2024 and All-SEC Freshman Team honors in 2022.
It is the second All-SEC honor for Cheesman this year, a senior defender from Lafayette, Colorado. Cheesman is one of the anchors of the back line, starting in 16 of 18 games in 2025. The LSU defense allowed just 1.06 goals per game and helped record five shutouts in 18 matches thanks to the efforts of Cheesman, while also tallying one goal and two assists this year. Her one goal came in a massive strike from distance in the Tigers’ road win at Auburn.
Ferguson serves as another vital piece to the LSU back line, as her and Cheesman make up the Tigers centre back duo over the last two years. The senior captain from Conyers, Georgia, has started in all 18 matches and recorded a team-high 1,588 minutes. Ferguson has contributed on both ends of the field this year, tallying two goals and two assists, highlighted by a goal in the squad’s 4-1 win over Texas A&M on October 10.
Bailey has made an immediate impact in her debut season in Baton Rouge, earning Third Team All-SEC and All-Freshman honors in her first year. The forward is currently tied for second on the team with six goals and six assists for 18 points, registering multi-goal performances against Texas A&M and contributing in eight different scoring matches.
Ferguson and Hermanndottir are two of only four players to start in every match this season.
This year’s All-SEC group of Tigers helped lead LSU to fifth place finish in the SEC, their highest finish under Head Coach Sian Hudson and highest in program history since 2013.
LSU concluded the regular season with a 10-5-3 overall record and a 5-2-3 mark in SEC play. The Tigers remain unbeaten in their last seven straight matches, earning their longest unbeaten streak in program history.
Together, Galligan, Hermannsdottir, Cheesman, Ferguson and Bailey have scored 23 of the Tigers 37 goals this year, helping lead their team to the most goals scored in SEC play since 2011.
LSU is set to begin postseason play this weekend in the upcoming 2025 SEC Tournament in Pensacola, Florida. The Tigers will face Auburn in the first round at 7 p.m. CT on Sunday, November 1 on SEC Network.
Stay up to date with all things LSU Soccer by following our team’s social media channels @LSUsoccer on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.
2025 SEC Postseason Soccer Awards
First Team All-SEC
Forward: Katie Shea Collins, South Carolina
Forward: Ava Galligan, LSU
Forward: Gianna Paul, Alabama
Forward: Sydney Watts, Vanderbilt
Midfielder: Kennedy Ball, Arkansas
Midfielder: Summer Denigan, Georgia
Midfielder: Courtney Jones, Vanderbilt
Midfielder: Ally Perry, Mississippi State
Defender: Ally Brown, Tennessee
Defender: Hayden Colson, Auburn
Defender: Gracie Falla, South Carolina
Defender: Hannah McLaughlin, Vanderbilt
Goalkeeper: Sara Wojdelko, Vanderbilt
Second Team All-SEC
Forward: Bella Field, Arkansas
Forward: Ida Hermannsdottir, LSU
Forward: Ava McDonald, Texas
Forward: Vailana Tu’ua, Arkansas
Midfielder: Mac Midgley, Tennessee
Midfielder: Nadia Ramadan, Alabama
Midfielder: Kiera Staude, Georgia
Midfielder: Amalia Villarreal, Texas
Defender: Sydney Cheesman, LSU
Defender: Cate Hardin, Georgia
Defender: Grace Hoytink, Kentucky
Defender: Makenzie Malham, Arkansas
Goalkeeper: Cayden Norris, Tennessee
Third Team All-SEC
Forward: Sariyah Bailey, LSU
Forward: Zoe Main, Mississippi State
Forward: Jenna Stayart, Tennessee
Forward: Tanner Strickland, Kentucky
Midfielder: Erin Flurey, Auburn
Midfielder: Melina Rebimbas, Alabama
Midfielder: Kai Tsakiris, Florida
Midfielder: Cuyler Zulauf, South Carolina
Defender: Taylor Bloom, South Carolina
Defender: Riley Brown, Oklahoma
Defender: Jazmin Ferguson, LSU
Defender: Hannah Jibril, Mississippi State
Defender: Avery Wren, Arkansas
Goalkeeper: Caroline Duffy, Oklahoma
All-Freshman Team
Sariyah Bailey, LSU
Riley Crooks, Texas A&M
Lily Devereaux, Auburn
Hannah Folliard, Georgia
Mackenzie Johnson, South Carolina
Ally Laccinole, Oklahoma
Ava McDonald, Texas
Reagan Pentz, Vanderbilt
Gabi Poretto, Kentucky
Olivia Stafford, Vanderbilt
Adia Symmonds, Mississippi State
Mya Townes, Georgia
Kai Tsakiris, Florida
Vailana Tu’ua, Arkansas
Coach of the Year: Colby Hale, Arkansas
Forward of the Year: Sydney Watts, Vanderbilt
Midfielder of the Year: Ally Perry, Mississippi State
Defender of the Year: Gracie Falla, South Carolina
Goalkeeper of the Year: Sara Wojdelko, Vanderbilt
Freshman of the Year: Ava McDonald, Texas
Newcomer of the Year: Larkin Thomason, Alabama
Scholar-Athlete of the Year: Ally Brown, Tennessee