 Photo By: LSUsports.net Da Boot Sports 11/20/2025 LSU Sports Communications By: Alyssa Leal NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The LSU Soccer Team (15-4-5) punched their ticket to the NCAA Sweet Sixteen on Friday afternoon with a 2-1 win over the Iowa Hawkeyes (12-5-4) at the Vanderbilt Soccer Complex. It was a come-from-behind effort for the Tigers as Iowa scored the first goal of the match in the 14th minute with a goal from Elle Wildman. LSU struck back in the 17th minute when midfielder Ida Hermansdottir equalized from the penalty spot before forward Ava Galligan scored the go ahead in the 66th minute with a rocket shot near-post from nine yards out. With the win, the Tigers advanced past the second round of the NCAA Tournament for the first time in program history. The Hawkeyes opened the match with attacking intent and applied pressure in the opening seconds. Wildman tested LSU goalkeeper Audur Scheving just 26 seconds into the match with a shot from six yards out that required a save to keep out. Iowa took a 1-0 lead in the 14th minute. Kenzie Rolin sent a ground cross from the left flank across the box and to the back post, where Wildman hit it first time from seven yards out and into the bottom left corner. It took only three minutes for the Tigers to respond, with forward Sariyah Bailey drawing a foul in the box and earning a penalty kick for the Tigers. Hermansdottir stepped up to the spot and blasted the ball to the bottom-right corner to tie the match at 1-1. The goal was Hermansdottir’s 10th goal of the year, a career-high in a single season for the Icelandic international. Hermansdottir joined Galligan (11) with double digit goal tallies, the first time that LSU has had multiple double-digit goalscorers since the 2009 season (Malorie Rutledge - 13, Melissa Clarke - 12). For the remainder of the first half, rain poured onto the pitch and neither team were able to create quality chances in attack. After 45 minutes, the match was split at 1-1. The second half opened with the same downpour that affected the first half, keeping the first 20 minutes of the half a stalemate. Galligan had a chance in the 65th minute from just outside the box that was saved by Iowa’s Fernanda Mayrink. The deadlock was broken just a minute later in the 66th. Defender Sydney Cheesman launched a long-through ball from LSU’s half and found a sprinting Galligan. Galligan strided past her defender and dribbled into the box before she smashed a right-footed effort from nine yards out near post to make it 2-1 in the match in favor of the Tigers. The goal was Galligan’s 11th of the season, a team-high, and the 20th of her collegiate career. For Cheesman, the assist was the third of the year. The Tigers locked down on defense for the remaining 24 minutes of the match. The Hawkeyes did not register a single shot after the go-ahead goal due to strong team play from the Tigers. The final whistle blew with a final score of 2-1 in favor of LSU. The Hawkeyes outshot the Tigers by a margin of 11-9, but LSU had more shots on frame with five compared to Iowa’s three. Mayrink finished the day with three saves while Scheving finished with two. The win increased LSU’s win tally to 15 on the season, which tied the program-high set in the 2000 and 2009 seasons. The win also increases the team’s unbeaten streak to 13 matches, boasting a 10-0-3 record since mid-September. It was the team’s third win over a top-25 ranked opponent this season, while also battling two ranked opponents to a draw on the year. The Tigers will return to action on Monday, November 24 at 2 p.m. CT for third round action against the winner of the Vanderbilt-Clemson match on ESPN+. The winner of Monday’s match will secure their spot in the Elite Eight. *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.
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