Da Boot Sports
11/28/2024
By: Terrill J. Weil


     Wishing you peace, love, and laughter this Thanksgiving. May your heart be filled with gratitude.  May this Thanksgiving bring joy to your heart, peace to your mind, and love to your home and let’s remember to be grateful not just for what we have, but for the people we have in our lives.  May the spirit of Thanksgiving fill your heart with peace, your mind with hope, and your life with love.


   

​   Make sure you go to DaBootSports.com for all of your LSU, Saints and Southern University coverage all season long. Also, please Subscribe to our Da Boot Sports YouTube Channel for our live 'Talking Tigers with Da Boot Sports' Football Podcast ever Tuesday night at 8:00pm..   Thank you for all the support!   GEAUX TIGERS!!! 

    **If your a Saints fan, tune into our YouTube Channel next Monday night at 8pm for our new live Saints podcast, Fleur De Lis Focus. Check it out and join us for some fun New Orleans Saints football Talk...

​John 14:6 - "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." (Accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior)

​*John 3;16 - For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

Da Boot Sports
11/26/2024
LSU Sports Communications
By: Alyssa Leal


   BATON ROUGE – The LSU Gymnastics program shattered season ticket sales for the second year in a row, setting a new record of over 8,680 season tickets sold ahead of the upcoming 2025 season.

   This milestone couldn’t have been achieved without the continued support of Tiger Nation, who surpassed last year’s season ticket record of 8,055. 

   “Our fan base continues to show why this is the best place in the country to be a collegiate athlete,” said head coach Jay Clark. “They show up and show out week after week and we are so grateful for their loyalty. The PMAC is truly a unique environment unlike anything else in college gymnastics, and we are so excited to get back in front of our fans in 2025!”

   The LSU Gymnastics squad is eager to return to the Pete Maravich Assembly Center (PMAC) next year after a historical season in 2024, highlighted by the program’s first national championship title. 

   The 2025 gymnastics season kicks off at home against Iowa State on Friday, January 3rd at 6:30 p.m. CT on SEC Network. Fans are encouraged to get to the Tigers home opener early as the championship banner will be revealed prior to the start of the meet.

   As the Tigers gear up to defend their title next year, fans across the country will have multiple opportunities to watch LSU in 2025, both in the PMAC and with their seven appearances on national television across ESPN platforms.

   LSU will welcome Iowa State, Florida, Missouri, Oklahoma and Georgia to Baton Rouge for five home meets inside the PMAC next year.

   Entering his fifth year as the head coach of the Tigers, Jay Clark continues to lead LSU to new heights year after year. Last season, Clark claimed multiple honors, including SEC Co-Head Coach of the Year, Region One Head Coach of the Year and Louisiana Head Coach of the Year by Allstate Sugar Bowl. 

   As the leader of the Tigers, he is dedicated to creating an environment that is second to none. “We want to do everything we can to see our attendance continue to grow every year,” said Clark. 

   The Tigers went undefeated at home in 2024 and finished the season with the highest average attendance in the nation for only the second time in program history.

   LSU finished the 2024 regular season with an average attendance of 12,590, marking the highest average in school history and the seventh-straight season with an average of 10,000 or better. A total of over 75,000 Tiger fans showed out to the PMAC, including three consecutive sold-out crowds.

   Individual meet tickets for the upcoming 2025 season will go on sale at 9 a.m. CT on Tuesday, December 10 on lsutix.net.

 

​John 14:6 - "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." (Accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior)

​*John 3;16 - For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

Da Boot Sports
11/15/2024
LSU Sports Communications
By: Alyssa Leal


   LUBBOCK, Texas –  The LSU Soccer Team (9-9-3, 4-6-2 SEC) had its 2024 season come to an end on Friday night after falling in the first round of the NCAA Tournament to No. 23 Texas Tech (15-4-2, 8-0-2 BIG 12) by a score of 2-1 at the John Walker Soccer Complex.

   The Red Raiders took the lead in the 23rd minute when Taylor Zdrojewski’s first time shot from 12 yards out found the back of the net. The lead was doubled just before halftime in the 42nd minute when Skylar Haase’s powerful header from ten yards out bounced into the bottom right corner.

   LSU grabbed one back and made it 2-1 on the night just 35 seconds into the second half as Mollie Baker found Amy Smith with a ground cross, with the freshman tapping the ball into the bottom right corner. The Tigers played strongly in the second half searching for an equalizer, but could not find one before the full time whistle.

   “I am really proud of how our team finished strong and handled the environment here. We are obviously disappointed in the result, but we had some really big chances over the course of the game,” said head coach Sian Hudson. “All credit to Texas Tech. They were clinical, but I thought we managed the game much better in the second half and saw some good moments.”


   The opening 10 minutes was a cagey affair with neither team able to take control of the match. The first chance of the night came in the 12th minute when midfielder Danielle Shannon ripped a powerful shot inside the box that was parried away by Texas Tech goalkeeper Faith Nguyen. 

   Only 30 seconds later, the Red Raiders launched a counterattack but was denied by defender Sydney Cheesman, who won the ball with a perfectly timed slide tackle on the edge of the box before blocking a powerful shot by Peyton Parsons to conclude a strong defensive sequence. 

   LSU’s goalkeeper Audur Scheving was called into action for the first time in the 19th minute as she stopped Texas Tech’s first shot on goal in the night with a simple catch.

   The Red Raiders opened the scoring in the 23rd minute. Macy Blackburn lined up for a free kick on the right hand flank and sent a perfect cross to Zdrojewski, who tapped it first time with her right foot and into the bottom left corner.

   Three minutes before the halftime break, Texas Tech found their second goal of the night. Blackburn sent an accurate cross into the box and found the head of Haase, whose strong header bounced back Scheving and into the bottom right corner. The goal gave the hosts a 2-0 lead in the match heading into halftime and gave Blackburn her second assist in the match.

   The Tigers came out energetic in the second half and took only 35 seconds to grab a goal. Baker dispossessed a Red Raider defender around midfield and carried the ball into the box before sending a ground cross to Smith, who tapped it near post and into the bottom right corner to make it 2-1 on the night. The goal was Smith’s second goal of the season and Baker’s second assist on the year.

   LSU spent the remainder of the half chasing an equalizer while limiting Texas Tech’s opportunities on offense. Nguyen denied a chance from forward Andrea Iljkic in the 66th minute before making the save of the night just a minute later. Forward Ava Galligan collected the ball outside the box on her left foot before ripping a powerful shot from 25 yards out that was tipped over the bar by an outstretched Nguyen.

   The Tigers’ final chance of the night came in the 80th minute as Smith took a shot from the top of the box, but the shot was collected by Nguyen. LSU chased for the final ten minutes of the match, but could not find a goal and the match concluded with a final score of 2-1 to the hosts.

   Texas Tech outshot LSU by a margin of 17-9, with the shots on goal coming in at a margin of 6-5 in favor of the Red Raiders. Both goalkeepers made big saves to keep their teams in contention, with Scheving and Nguyen both finishing the night with five saves each.

   Shannon, Smith, Baker, Iljkic and Galligan all tallied shots on target for the Tigers on the day. 

   While it was a disappointing result, the Tigers fought until the end in Lubbock. Their 2024 season concludes after earning their fourth consecutive NCAA postseason berth, the longest in LSU Soccer history. The Tigers will be back for more next year as the majority of this year’s squad returns, with only three seniors departing. 



   Make sure you go to DaBootSports.com for all of your LSU, Saints and Southern University coverage all season long. Also, please Subscribe to our Da Boot Sports YouTube Channel for our live 'Talking Tigers with Da Boot Sports' Football Podcast ever Tuesday night at 8:00pm.. Tuesday night's special guest will be former LSU quarterback, Herb Tyler....   Thank you for all the support!   GEAUX TIGERS!!! 

    **If your a Saints fan, tune into our YouTube Channel next Monday night at 8pm for our new live Saints podcast, Fleur De Lis Focus. Check it out and join us for some fun New Orleans Saints football Talk...
​​

​John 14:6 - "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." (Accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior)

​*John 3;16 - For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

Da Boot Sports
11/11/2024
LSU Sports Communications
By: Alyssa Leal


   BATON ROUGE – For the first time in program history, the LSU Soccer team (9-8-3, 3-5-2 SEC) earned their fourth consecutive postseason berth under head coach Sian Hudson and will kick off their 2024 NCAA Tournament journey in the first round against No. 8 seed Texas Tech (14-4-2, 8-1-2) on Friday, November 15.

   The field of 64 teams, which will compete for the 43rd NCAA Division I Women's Soccer Championship, was announced on Monday by the NCAA Division I Women's Soccer Committee. Thirty-one conference champions qualified automatically, while the rest of the field was selected at-large by the committee.

   "We’re really excited to be in the national tournament for four years running and for the matchup against Texas Tech,” said Hudson. “It's a great accomplishment to go dancing. Texas Tech is traditionally a very strong program and they’ve had a really good year in the Big 12, so it’ll be a tough test for us. They are well organized and have a fantastic coach in Tom Stone.”

   “We’ll be heading to Lubbock with a lot of confidence from the way that we’ve played in recent weeks. Our team is ready and knows how to go into a game and have to execute in 90 minutes. We learned a lot in our SEC Tournament run last week in terms of tournament play, managing plays and finding ways to win.” 

   LSU and Texas Tech is one of thirty-two single-elimination first-round games that will be conducted at non-predetermined campus sites on November 15, 16 or 17 with the winning team from each game advancing to the second round.

   The Tigers lead the all-time series over Red Raiders, 3-1, with Friday's match being only their fifth time meeting. The two teams last faced off in 2020, when LSU came out victorious in a 1-0 win in Denton.

   Second and third round competition will follow across eight non-predetermined campus sites. At each campus site, four teams will compete in a single-elimination second-round competition. The two winning teams will then compete against each other in a single-elimination third-round competition at the same campus site. The winning team from each of the eight third rounds advanced to the quarterfinals.

  Four single-elimination quarterfinals games will be conducted on November 29 or 30 with the winners advancing to the championship final site.

   This 43rd annual NCAA Women’s College Cup will be played Dec. 6 and 9 at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, North Carolina, with the University of North Carolina and Cary, NC serving as hosts. The first national semifinal will be played and broadcast live on ESPNU at 5 p.m. CT Friday, Dec. 6, followed by the second semifinal beginning at approximately 6:30 p.m. CT live on ESPNU.


   The national championship match will take place at 4 p.m. CT Monday, Dec. 9 and will also broadcast live on ESPNU.

   Check the full interactive bracket for updated times of the 2024 NCAA Championships here. Television and streaming information is to come. 

     NCAA Tournament History

   This year’s postseason berth marks the Tigers tenth program appearance in the NCAA Tournament and fourth-straight under Hudson, the longest streak by a coach in LSU soccer program history. LSU has claimed their spot in the tournament every year since 2021.

   Prior to that, the longest streak of postseason appearances came in 2007-2009 under former head coach Brian Lee.
Hudson’s first career NCAA Tournament appearance in the Purple & Gold came against Memphis in 2021, who the Tigers also played in the first round of the NCAA Tournament last year.

   The Tigers defeated Lamar in Baton Rouge to advance to the second round in 2022, where they fell against Florida State. The run matched the longest in program history as Hudson and the Tigers will look to go even further this year. LSU owns an all-time record of 3-8-2 in NCAA Tournament competition.

​John 14:6 - "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." (Accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior)

​*John 3;16 - For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

Da Boot Sports
11/5/2024
LSU Sports Communications
By: LSU Staff


   PENSACOLA, Fla. – The 11th-seeded LSU Soccer team (9-8-3, 4-6-2 SEC) fell to the third-seeded Texas Longhorns (14-3-2, 7-3-1 SEC) in the quarterfinals of the 2024 SEC Tournament by a score of 3-0 on Tuesday afternoon at the Ashton Brosnaham Soccer Complex.With the result on the day, LSU ends their beach trip with their longest run in the tournament since 2021.
   “I thought we were the ascending team early on and we started the second half really well, but we just couldn’t find our moment,” said head coach Sian Hudson. “We tried to fight back. Amy Smith had a great shot that hit the post, and if that were to go in, it would’ve been a different story. We had a couple of good moments in the box, but we just didn’t really get that piece of luck that we needed to get back in the game. All credit to Texas. They have two of the best players in the country in Lexi Messimo and Amalia Villareall and they were the difference makers for them today.”
   “In recent weeks we’ve shown the ability in our last four or five games in the SEC that we can compete with anyone. We just have to hope now that we get a berth into the national tournament and an opportunity to live another day.”
   The first half was a back and forth battle with neither team able to find a breakthrough in the first period of action. LSU managed to get two shots on goal from both Jazmin Ferguson and Riley MacDonald, while goalkeeper Sophine Kevorkian made one save. It was scoreless after the first 45 minutes.
   Texas came out of the locker room and scored two goals in two minutes early in the second half. The scorers for the Longhorns were Amalia Villareall (55’) and Holly Ward (57’). Ward’s goal was assisted by Lexi Missimo.
   The Tigers’ best chance of the second half came via Amy Smith, who hit the right goal post with a blistering shot late in the period.
   Holly Ward added a third goal for the Longhorns and her second goal of the match in the 86th minute. 
   The Tigers finished the match with 12 shots compared to 21 from the Longhorns. Kevorkian finished the match with two saves in between the posts for LSU.

   LSU will now return home to Baton Rouge and wait to see if they will be awarded a berth to the 2024 NCAA Division I Women’s Soccer Championship. The selection show will take place on Monday, November 11th, at 3:00 p.m. CT. The show will be broadcast live on NCAA.com. 

​

​John 14:6 - "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." (Accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior)

​*John 3;16 - For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

Da Boot Sports
10/3/2024
LSU Sports Communications
By: Alyssa Leal


   PENSACOLA, Fla. – The LSU Soccer team (9-7-3, 4-5-2 SEC) won their opening match of the 2024 SEC Soccer Tournament against the six seed and No. 24 ranked Auburn Tigers (12-3-4, 4-3-4 SEC) by a score of 2-1 on Sunday afternoon in Pensacola.

   The win was the Tigers first top-25 victory since No. 22 Georgia in 2023 and Head Coach Sian Hudson’s first victory over Auburn since beginning her tenure at LSU. It was also LSU’s first victory over Auburn since 2010. 

   With the result on the day, LSU has now advanced to the quarterfinals and will face the No. 3 seeded Texas Longhorns on Tuesday, November 5th at 2 p.m. CT. The match will be broadcast live on SEC Network. 

   “I’m so proud of the team. We’re excited to get back out there and take on Texas on Tuesday,” said Hudson. “We talked about defending as a unit and working for each other outside of possession and I think we did that so well today across the field. Gabbi Ceballos was unbelievable for us and then Mollie Baker, who hasn’t scored every goal she wanted to for us this season, stepping up in a big moment.”

   On the defense, Hudson said “Sophine (Kevorkian) has come into the lineup for the last three games and has been fantastic for us. Our backline has grown so much over the course of the SEC season. They are playing for each other at such a higher level. The center back duo of Sydney Cheesman and Jazmin Ferguson has been fantastic.”

   It was a battle of the Tigers to start the match in Pensacola, with both teams fighting to advance to the next round, but neither team was able to get anything going in the first half. LSU had two shots compared to Auburn’s three and the first half ended all square at 0-0.

   The LSU defensive unit of Caley Swierenga, Jazmin Ferguson, Sydney Cheesman and Jocelyn Ollivierre combined with the midfield unit of Danielle Shannon, Ida Hermannsdóttir and Gabbi Ceballos held it down and was able to hold off any real scoring opportunities from Auburn. 

   LSU found a breakthrough ten minutes into the second half via a goal from midfielder Gabbi Ceballos. Danielle Shannon fired a shot at Auburn’s goalkeeper Maddie Prohaska, and Prohaska made a save that deflected right to the feet of Ceballos. She made no mistake and slotted the ball into the left side of the empty net, giving LSU the 1-0 lead on the day.

   Ceballos’ goal was the second of her career, both coming in the 2024 season.

   LSU extended their lead in the 70th minute when forward Mollie Baker took a deflected pass off of an Auburn defender. Baker bounced past Prohaska and calmly passed the ball into the back of the net to make it a two goal advantage for LSU.

   Baker’s goal was her second of the season, her first since the squad’s match against UC Davis match on September 15, and the ninth of her career. 

   Auburn got on the board in the 78th minute, when Mallory Mooney laced a long shot past LSU’s Kevorkian to make it a 2-1 game. The goal was assisted by Anna Haddock.

   It was a hard fought battle in the last 12 minutes of the match as Auburn looked to even the match and the LSU defense was tested, but the Purple and Gold Tigers were able to hold off Auburn in the final minutes to secure the 2-1 win, their first victory in the SEC Tournament since 2020. 
Auburn finished the match with eight shots compared to LSU’s four, but Ceballos and Baker were able to capitalize on their attempts despite a low shot game. 

   LSU will look for the second SEC Tournament victory on Tuesday as they take on the Longhorns.



   Make sure you go to DaBootSports.com for all of your LSU, Saints and Southern University coverage all season long. Also, please Subscribe to our Da Boot Sports YouTube Channel for our live 'Talking Tigers with Da Boot Sports' Football Podcast ever Tuesday night at 8:00pm.   Tuesday night's special guest will be LSU Super Fan TigerMark....  Thank you for all the support!   GEAUX TIGERS!!! 

    **If your a Saints fan, tune into our YouTube Channel next Monday night at 8pm for our new live Saints podcast, Fleur De Lis Focus. Check it out and join us for some fun New Orleans Saints football Talk... Monday night's special guest will be Legendary Louisiana Sports caster Ken Trahan....
​

​John 14:6 - "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." (Accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior)

​*John 3;16 - For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.