The Preview: LSU Tigers Soccer vs. Missouri Tigers in Televised SEC Showdown

Last Time On The Pitch

The Tigers secured their first conference win of the season last Thursday night against Auburn inside the Auburn Soccer Complex.Despite a two hour and 45 minute weather delay, LSU was able to come out with the win in Auburn to earn three road points thanks to goals from Sydney Cheesman, Ava Galligan and Sariyah Bailey. 

Cheesman scored in the 40th minute to send LSU to finish the first half with the lead, while Galligan scored the go-ahead in the second half and Bailey added the insurance goal.

It was LSU’s first victory on the road against Auburn in the regular season since 2009. 

Auburn had control to open the match, taking a series of shots that missed the target. The Orange and Blue Tigers took two shots on frame in the first half, but LSU goalkeeper Sophine Kevorkian was to make the stop. 

The home team saw another opportunity when Grace Ivey sent a look toward goal, but her attempt sailed high. LSU answered on the other end with Galligan finding space for a shot, but Auburn keeper Ayana Yapo came up with the stop to keep things scoreless.

The Tigers found the opening goal of the match late in the first half on a banger from Cheesman fired from distance, delivering her first goal of the year to give LSU the lead in the 40th minute. It was Cheesman’s second goal of her career at LSU.

Cheesman helped LSU take the 1-0 lead into the second half. 

Auburn came out hot in the second half, pushing forward in search of the equalizer. Erin Flurey was able to get her squad on the board in the 52nd minute and level the match at 1-1. 

LSU responded shortly after as Galligan regained the lead in the 67th minute. Galligan capitalized on a set piece and sent a perfect header into the back of the net to give the Tigers a 2-1 advantage on the night, marking her sixth goal of the season and 15th of her career.

The battle of the Tigers came to a pause around the 70th minute due to weather in the area. After a two hour and 45 minute break, both teams retook the field to finish out the remaining 19 minutes of the match in Auburn.

Bailey gave LSU an insurance goal in the 78th minute. The freshman received the ball on an up-field through ball from Kelsey Major, tapped it past an Auburn defender and around their goalkeeper, and easily slotted it home for the third goal of the match and third of her career.

LSU took down the home team on the day despite losing the shooting battle 22-6. Sophine Kevorkian finished the night with six saves in her first start back in between the posts in four matches.

Season Stats

LSU is looking to stay in the win column and secure their second conference victory this Thursday night against Missouri. The Tigers have six wins on their resume this year, most recently taking down Auburn for three points on the road.

The Purple & Gold squad also owns wins over South Alabama, FGCU, UC Davis, Utah and a top-25 victory over No. 21 Wisconsin this year. Their win over the Badgers was the program’s first ranked victory at home since 2021. 

The Tigers have previously notched votes in the United Soccer Coaches Poll during the week five poll as they look to earn a spot in the national rankings.

The Tigers currently sit in the top-10 in the SEC in three categories: shots (158), saves (38), shutouts (4) and goals (22) entering tomorrow’s match. 

Junior forward Ava Galligan is the Tigers leading scorer with six on the year thus far, which places her amongst the top-10 leading scorers in the SEC (T-6).

Galligan scored the game winner in LSU’s match against No. 21 Wisconsin to secure the win over the nationally ranked Badgers and gave the Tigers the go-ahead goal in their last match over Auburn to help secure the win. 

Galligan also leads the Tigers in shots taken this year with 29. She’s appeared in all 12 matches for LSU thus far, totaling 806 minutes. 

Hermannsdottir, the second-highest active player in the conference with the most career goals (23), follows Galligan with four goals on the year while freshman Sariyah Bailey owns three. 

Hermannsdottir is one of only four players to start in every match for LSU this year. She also tallied two assists and 20 shot attempts.

Freshman Sariyah Bailey has been outstanding on the attack for LSU in her debut season, tallying four assists on top of her three goals, which places her in the top-10 in the conference. 

Other goal scorers on the year for LSU include graduate transfer Morgan Witz, who owns two goals this year, as well as Jazmin Ferguson, Kelsey Major, Gabbi Ceballos, Senai Rogers and Ryann Denecour, all with one each. 

Graduate transfer Makenna Dominguez is another Tiger who has made her presence known on the pitch, tallying three assists to help the Tigers attack this year. 

Senior goalkeeper Sophine Kevorkian started in the first seven matches in between the posts for LSU and once again earned the start in the Tigers last match against Auburn. She has recorded a 1.30 goals-against average (GAA), 23 saves and two shutouts for LSU this year.

Audur Scheving, the junior from Iceland, has earned a clean sheet in two games for LSU in her four-match streak in between the posts. She owns 14 saves on the year and a GAAVG of 0.93.

Veteran center back and captain Jazmin Ferguson leads the way in minutes for LSU (1,054) and has started in every match this year. Seniors Jocelyn Ollivierre, Kelsey Major, and Hermannsdottir are the only other Tigers to earn the start in all 12 matches for  LSU thus far.

2025 Schedule Overview

The Tigers’ 18-game regular season slate features eight home matches, including five pivotal SEC contests in Baton Rouge that kicked off on September 18 against Alabama, followed by matches against Missouri, Texas A&M, Kentucky, and Florida.

The team’s  “Strike Gold” theme for 2025 reflects the program’s championship aspirations as they pursue a fifth straight NCAA Tournament appearance. LSU has advanced to the postseason in four of Hudson’s first five years—the longest streak in program history.

The Tigers 2025 non-conference schedule was built to prepare them for the challenges of the SEC as they continue their conference stretch.

The squad went 5-3 in non-conference play, facing tough opponents such as 2024 national semifinalists Wake Forest, Florida Gulf Coast, UCF, Utah Valley, and Utah. 

LSU will conclude the regular season in Baton Rouge with a marquee matchup against Florida on Sunday, Oct. 26 at 2 p.m. CT.

Postseason play begins with the SEC Tournament in Pensacola, Fla., on Nov. 2, followed by the NCAA Tournament on Nov. 14. The University of Kansas will host the 2025 Women’s College Cup at CPKC Stadium on Dec. 5 and 8.

Television Coverage

The Tigers television slate kicked off against Auburn last week and continues this week with a broadcast match against Missouri and concluding with Ole Miss on Thursday, October 16th at 6 p.m. CT.