Dylan Heinrich / Rock M Nation
Tigers can’t finish in frustrating loss ripped straight from 2023.
With one game as the favorites, optimism was high for Mizzou to reach the SEC tournament. But the emotion dropped quickly as LSU came to Audrey J. Walton, pulling off the 1-0 upset as Mizzou no longer controls their own destiny. This marked their second straight loss, being outscored 4-0 in those second halves.
The only goal of the game came in the 68th minute from LSU’s leading scorer Ida Hermannsdottir. Mizzou’s Jessica Larson failed to track an LSU pass to the edge of the box, giving Hermannsdottir an open lane to show why she leads the Bayou Bengals in goals.
Leave it to the righty on 10 to put the Tigers on the board ‼️
SEC Network pic.twitter.com/OK3pWp1pcm
— LSU Soccer (@LSUSoccer) October 27, 2024
After the goal Mizzou kicked the offense into high gear, sensing the urgency in the moment. In the 71st minute senior Milena Fischer couldn’t get enough of a touch on a cross, as the ball trickled wide of the net. Larson followed the opportunity in the 74th minute with a shot outside the box that just sailed high.
Ten minutes later freshman Landis Canada ripped a cross through the box, finding Milena Fischer only a few yards in front of the goalkeeper without a defender in sight. But Fischer whiffed on the chance, as her shot sailed harmlessly into the arms of keeper Sophine Kevorkian. The final serious chance came in the 86th minute, where Fischer’s free kick found freshman Emily Derucki in the box, but her header attempted sailed too far right.
The game was scoreless after 45 minutes, as both teams avoided any key mistakes in such a high-stakes matchup. Both teams made the most of their limited chances, leading to some nail-biting moments.
Mizzou had the first chance at the 8-minute mark when the Tigers worked the ball to forward Bri Buels in front of the net for a one-timer opportunity. But the chance sailed high, as the ball just came off her foot wrong in a real break for LSU.
The home team had the last opportunity of the half as well after another one-timer. Mallory McGuire dribbled the ball up to the edge of the box, crossing it to Keegan Good for a header, but the shot just sailed high again. Maybe Mizzou needs to secretly extend the top of the goals by two feet or so, would completely revolutionize the offense.
Sandwiched between the Mizzou chances, LSU found themselves with a primary scoring chance of their own. In the 35th minute Danielle Shannon rang a shot off the crossbar, bouncing directly downward and then JUST outside the goal. After a lengthy review, it was determined that a sliver of the ball did NOT cross the line, no goal.
Overall Mizzou controlled the game, with an 18-7 shot advantage and 8-1 in corners. But they struggled with accuracy, turning those 18 shots into only five on goal, all of which were gobbled up by Kevorkian.
After the disappointing loss, athletic comms deemed there would be no interviews with Coach Stefanie Golan, but you can probably imagine her thoughts.
With the loss LSU surpasses Mizzou in the standings, pushing Golan’s team to the brink. There remains only one way that Mizzou can reach the SEC tournament despite the loss, as they currently hold the final spot in 12th place.
Tennessee sits in 13th, but has one game remaining as they have a rescheduled matchup against Florida that was moved due to Hurricane Helene. On Wednesday, Oct. 30, we are all Gator fans if the Tigers hope to make their first SEC tournament in a full season since 2018.
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