Da Boot Sports
11/6/2025
LSU Sports Communications
By: Alyssa Leal


   PENSACOLA, Fla. – The No. 23/25 nationally ranked LSU Soccer team (13-5-3) punched their ticket to the 2025 SEC Tournament Championship with a 3-1 win over the No. 8-seed Mississippi State Bulldogs (12-6-2) in the semifinals on Thursday evening.

   With the win, LSU is now heading to the finals for the third time in program history. The Tigers have a 1-1 record in
the championship match, falling to South Carolina on penalties in 2009 by a score of 1-1 (8-7 PK) and claiming the program’s sole SEC Championship in 2018 with a penalty shootout victory over Arkansas, 1-1 (4-1 PK). 

   As the five seed in 2025, the Tigers are also the lowest seed to reach the SEC championship match since Vanderbilt (7) in 2020.

   The Tigers controlled the pace of the game from the first minute and were rewarded for their play in the 18th minute with
the opening goal. The Tigers took a free kick deep from their own half that flipped the field and deflected off the head of a Mississippi State defender. Galligan found herself in the right place at the right time and poked the ball on the half volley from just outside the box past the goalkeeper into the back of the net. For Galligan, the goal was her 10th of the season, becoming the first LSU player since Jorian Baucom in 2016 to hit double digit goals in a single season.

   In the 29th minute, Vega-Pelenka attempted to control the ball in the Mississippi State box but had her studs slip off the ball and into the leg of midfielder Gadea Blanco Gonzalez, which drew a penalty on VAR review and a red card for Vega-Pelenka. Hermansdottir stepped up to the spot and slotted the ball into the bottom-right corner to give LSU a 2-0 lead and her eighth goal of the season, tying her season-best achieved in 2024. Hermannsdottir is now 8-9 from the spot in her career.

   Riding momentum from the second goal, the LSU lead was stretched to 3-0 just three minutes later. A strong sequence of team play saw Hermansdottir and Gonzalez connect on the right flank before Gonzalez sent a cross into the box for Bailey, who headed it downward to bounce past the goalkeeper and into the back of the net. The goal was Bailey’s seventh of the season while the assists took Hermansdottir and Gonzalez’s tallies to six and two respectively.

   The Bulldogs responded just before halftime in the 43rd minute. Ally Perry whipped in a cross from the corner to the back post and found the head of Borman, whose header flew across goal and into the bottom-right corner. The goal was the final major moment of the first half that saw the Tigers hold a 3-1 lead after 45 minutes.

   The second half showed the discipline of the Tigers as they limited the Bulldogs in attack and controlled the tempo of the match. LSU goalkeeper Audur Scheving picked up saves in the 64th and 90th minutes, two easy saves due to strong defense from the Tigers. That was all she wrote for the scoreless second half, with the whistle blowing for a final score of 3-1 in favor of LSU.

   The box score showed an even statline, with both teams having 11 shots each in the match while LSU had six on goal compared to Mississippi State’s three. Outside of the Bulldogs’ goal from the corner in the 42nd minute, however, the Tigers kept the Bulldog attack at bay throughout the match.

   On the season, Thursday’s match was the 13th win of the year for the Tigers, the third-highest mark in program history and the first time that 13 wins have been reached since the 2018 season. The unbeaten streak also continues for LSU and now sits at ten consecutive matches, a program-record.

   LSU will take on the winner of No. 2-seed Vanderbilt and No. 3-seed Georgia in the SEC Championship at 1:30 p.m. CT on Sunday, November 9. The match will be broadcast on the SEC Network.

​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
11/4/2025
LSU Sports Communications
By: Alyssa Leal


   PENSACOLA, Fla. – The No. 5-seed LSU Soccer team (12-5-3) extended its unbeaten streak to nine matches with a 2-0 win over No. 4-seed Tennessee (12-3-3) in the SEC Tournament quarterfinals on Tuesday night in the Ashton Brosnaham Soccer Complex.

   Graduate student Morgan Witz and senior Ida Hermannsdottir led the way for the Tigers on the scoresheet on Tuesday night. With the result, LSU advanced to its first SEC semifinal since 2018, when the Tigers went on to win the tournament and take home their first and only SEC title in program history. 

   It was a battle right out the gate between the Tigers and the Vols on Tuesday evening. Tennessee threatened the Tigers early with two shots in the third minute. LSU would place its first shot of the evening in the 10th minute by junior midfielder Gabbi Ceballos. 

   The Tigers would rattle off three more attempts until junior forward Ava Galligan placed the first shot on target in the match in the 27th minute. Despite chances by the Vols, junior goalkeeper Audur Scheving collected her first save of the night in the 41st minute. 

   The Vols outshot the Tigers 7-5 in the first half, but neither team was able to find the opening goal in the first 45 and the match remained scoreless at halftime.

   LSU came out hot in the second half and wasted no time to get on the board. In the 46th minute, Galligan laid a ball at midfield to freshman forward Sariyah Bailey, who played a low-driven pass into space for Witz to slot in the bottom left corner of the net and give LSU the 1-0 lead. Witz has been a standout for the Tigers in SEC Tournament play, scoring in both the first round and quarterfinal matchups to help secure LSU wins.

   The goal was Witz’s fourth goal of the season, while Bailey tallied her third six assist. 

   Just two minutes later, Bailey would yet again create an opportunity for the Tigers. She sent a pass inside the box to the feet of Galligan, who then took a shot that would get deflected by Tennessee’s goalkeeper Cayden Norris, which senior forward Ida Hermansdottir took advantage of. Hermannsdottir followed through on the rebound and was able to give the Tigers the 2-0 lead. It was Hermansdottir’s seventh goal of the year, moving her career total to 26, the eighth most in LSU Soccer history. Bailey and Galligan were credited with the assists on the goal, as Bailey earned her second assist of the game to increase her total to seven on the year, while Galligan owns six.

   The remaining time of the match saw the Tigers keep the Volunteers at bay, only allowing two shots on target in the second half, at the 61st and 83rd minutes, which Scheving safely collected. LSU would maintain its lead and stifle Tennessee’s rally hopes to secure the win and advance to the semifinal. 

   Scheving finished the night with three crucial saves to keep a clean sheet on the night, her fourth of the season. The junior now has 26 saves on the year with a 0.84 GAAVG.

   While Tennessee outshot LSU 18-13, the Tigers were able to capitalize on their moments to defeat the Vols after previously falling to them earlier this season.

   LSU will next face No. 8-seed Mississippi State on Thursday, November 6, at 3:30 p.m. CT on SEC Network. The winner will advance to the championship match on Sunday, November 9 and play the winner of No. 2-seed Vanderbilt and No. 3-seed Georgia. 

​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
11/4/2025
By: Terrill J. Weil


​   BATON ROUGE, LA - Louisiana State University filled three very key positions on Tuesday afternoon. Wade Rousse was named the 29th School President. Rousse was formaly the President at McNesse State University.

   James Dalton has been named Chancellor and Vice President. Dalton was Alabama University's provost, the highest academic administrative role on their campus, since 2020.

   But perhaps the biggest hire of the day was naming Verge Ausberry full time Atheltic Director. Ausberry, a former standout linebacker for the Tigers has been a part of LSU's athletic department for 24 years. He was named interim AD last week after the University parted ways with Scott Woodward. Without a doubt, LSU athletics is in great hands with Ausberry as he will bring strong leadership. 

   Now it's time to hire an outstanding, new football coach. Very confident that LSU has the right man in place to do so.

​   GEAUX TIGERS!

Da Boot Sports
11/2/2025
LSU Sports Communications
By: Alyssa Leal


   PENSACOLA, Fla. – The No. 5-seeded LSU Soccer team (11-5-3) took down No. 12-seed Auburn (5-6-7) in the first round of the 2025 SEC Tournament on Sunday night at the Ashton Brosnaham Soccer Complex. 

   The win booked a spot in the SEC Tournament quarterfinal round for LSU, where they’ll take on the No. 4 seed Tennessee Lady Vols at 7 p.m. CT on Tuesday, November 4 on SEC Network.

   LSU opened the game on the attacking foot and scored the fastest goal on the day between all first round matches on Sunday. Defender Jocelyn Ollivierre took a long free kick from midfield and pinged the ball into the box, which was then headed to the center of the box by Jazmin Ferguson to Galligan, who headed it home into the back of the net in just the eighth minute. The goal took Galligan’s tally on the season to nine, while the assists were Ferguson’s third of the year and Ollivierre’s first.

  Following the goal, LSU remained in control of the match and kept Auburn’s offense at bay. Goalkeeper Sophine Kevorkian registered her first save in the 17th minute as she calmly caught a shot from Auburn’s Erin Flurey.

   The LSU lead was extended to 2-0 in the 27th minute by Witz. LSU pressed Auburn in their own half and forced a takeaway on the right flank. Midfielder Gabbi Ceballos sent a ground pass to Witz, who took a touch on her left foot before shooting a powerful shot with her right from 25 yards out that floated above the Auburn goalkeeper and into the back of the net. The goal was Witz’s fourth of the season while the assist was Ceballos’ third.

   LSU held firm for the remainder of the half to keep the 2-0 lead after the first 45 minutes of play.

   The second half saw Auburn open with attacking intent, forcing saves from Kevorkian in the 63rd and 66th minutes. Auburn scored their first goal of the night and cut the lead to 2-1 in the 69th minute when Driver headed the ball home from a corner.

   LSU did not flinch after the goal and responded with a goal of their own in the 78th minute to make it 3-1 on the night. Midfielder Ava Amsden sent a through ball into the box to Gadea Blanco Gonzalez. Gonzalez shrugged off her defender and chipped the ball with her left foot from 10 yards out that floated above the goalkeeper and into the right corner of the net. It was the second goal of the season for Gonzalez, who scored in back-to-back games after recently earning her first career goal last week in the Tigers regular season finale against Florida. For Amsden, it’s her second assist of the year.

   Auburn continued to test Kevorkian in the final 20 minutes of the match in search of their second goal and forced saves in the 79th and 83rd minutes. They ultimately found their second goal in the 85th minute, when Sallee capitalized on a defensive error by LSU and shot the ball into an open net to make it 3-2 with five minutes to play.

   The tying goal did not come for Auburn, who had three corners in the final 90 seconds of the match; two of those corners were cleared away by the defense and the other ended in a goalkeeper save from Kevorkian. LSU fought until the final whistle to hold the match at 3-2 in favor of the Purple & Gold. 

   Sunday’s win marked the second year in a row that LSU defeated Auburn in the first round of SEC’s to advance to the next round. 

   LSU was efficient on their chances against Auburn, taking four shots on goal and three of them resulting in goals, while Auburn took 20 attempts and eight were on target. 

   Kevorkian finished the night with six saves in between the posts, which tied her season-high single game total. The three goals scored by LSU tonight means that the Tigers have now scored three or more goals in four of its past five matches and increased the unbeaten streak to eight matches, the longest in program history.

   LSU returns to action in Pensacola on Tuesday night at 7 p.m. CT when they take on the No. 4-seed Tennessee Lady Vols. The Lady Vols are 12-2-3 on the season and were the last team to beat LSU in Knoxville on September 21st.
 

​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.