The Recap: LSU Tigers Soccer Wraps Up Non-Conference Play With 2-0 Over Utah Utes

The breakthrough came 35 seconds later. Forward Sariyah Bailey received a ball on the left flank and charged into the box, cut inside to skip past her defender and sent a strong shot on goal from about ten yards out.

The shot narrowly deflected off the head of Smith before finding the bottom right corner to give the Tigers a 1-0 lead on the day.

The goal was Smith’s first of the season, while the assist was the fourth of the year for the freshman Bailey.

The Tigers maintained control of play throughout the remainder of the first half and did not allow the Utes to get a shot on goal or any quality attacks in their final third. Two minutes before halftime, LSU doubled the lead through their lead goalscorer Galligan.

Midfielder Makenna Dominguez carried the ball into the attacking third and sent a through ball on the right flank to Galligan, who burst behind her defender and eventually slotted a right-footed shot near post and past the Utah goalkeeper. 

The goal was Galligan’s fifth of the season, Dominguez’s second assist of the year, and it meant that the Tigers would take a 2-0 lead into halftime.

The second half picked up right where the teams left off from the first, with LSU limiting the quality of chances that the Utes had in attack.

The match only made it to the 63rd minute before storm clouds rolled in the area, forcing a weather delay at 2:32 local time.

While rain did not hit the field during the hour break, lightning strikes within an eight mile radius held up the resumption of the match.

The match resumed at 3:41 local time with 27 minutes of play left to go. The Tigers did not miss a beat despite the delay in play, keeping the ball for the majority of the remainder of the match.

The Utes only mustered one shot on goal, a strong shot by Ali Swensen in the 84th minute that was punched away by LSU goalkeeper Audur Scheving.

The match finished 2-0 in favor of the visiting Tigers.

Utah outshot the Tigers by a margin of 15-5, but only one of the Utes’ 15 shots was on target while the Tigers had three. Both goalkeepers finished the match with one save. It was a strong defensive day for the Tigers, who did not let the home team get quality chances at scoring a goal.

LSU will open SEC play on the road this week as they head to Nashville, Tennessee to take on the No. 25-ranked Vanderbilt Commodores at 7 p.m. CT on Friday, September 12. The match will be streamed on the SEC Network+.