Midfielders Maddie Moreau and Athena Kuehn and goalkeeper Mollee Swift got LSU’s soccer team off to a victorious start on its two-game Florida road swing Thursday night.
Kuehn scored the first goal in the 12th minute, Moreau banged home the game-winner with 31 seconds left and Swift had four saves as the Tigers edged 15th ranked South Florida 2-1 in USF’s Corbett Stadium in Tampa.
The win marked the fourth time in program history that LSU beat a Top 25 opponent on the road, and it was the first time since the 2012 season.
“Thrilled to come to a top ranked opponent and get a win on the road,” said LSU head coach Sian Hudson, whose 3-0 Tigers play at UCF on Sunday at 3 p.m. “USF is a quality team, but the grit and collective effort we showed today on the defensive side of the ball was immense.”
USF seemed like a different team after there was a one-hour long weather delay six minutes into the second half.
The Bulls became more aggressive, getting four shots on goal against Swift.
She got her second save of the game in the 59th minute by stopping a shot by USF’s Sabrina Wagner, gave up a goal in the 66th minute off a penalty kick by Sydney Nasello, made a diving save in the 70th minute of a scorcher by Emilee Lajmiri and followed that second later by deflecting a Lucy Roberts header over the top of the crossbar.
“USF put us under a huge amount of pressure after the lightning delay and Swift made two huge saves to keep us tied,” Hudson said.
The Tigers got their chance to wn in the final minute as forward Rammie Noel dispossessed a USF defender and sent in a ground cross into the box. Midfielder Wasila Diwura-Soale’s dummy run opened space for Moreau, who took a touch and lifted the ball into the back of the net for the winner with 31 seconds to spare in regulation.
The goal was the second of Moreau’s career, and first since the 2019 season. For Noel, it was her second assist of the game and first multi-assist game in her collegiate career.
Statistically, both teams registered 11 shots. The Tigers had six on target compared to the Bulls’ five. Both goalkeepers finished with four saves, and USF edged LSU in corners 6-4.
With the win, the Tigers moved to 8-0-1 under Hudson when scoring two or more goals in a match.
“So proud of the belief in the team right now to continue fighting until the last minute and so happy for Maddie (Moreau) to grab the winner late on and secure a huge victory for us,” Hudson said. “Rammie (Noel) was also superb today on the pitch, doing so many things well and picking up two assists. We’ll take the confidence from today into another big opponent on Sunday.”
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