Lady Vols Fall On Road To Tigers, 1-0

Sunday, October 8

Baton Rouge, LA

5 PM

University of Tennessee

6-3-4, 1-2-3

LSU

8-5-1, 3-3-0

Tennessee

LSU

October 08, 2023 | Soccer

Box Score Photo Gallery

By: Kimberly Hood

BATON ROUGE, La. – The Lady Vols couldn't overcome a scrappy LSU team, suffering a 1-0 loss in LSU Soccer Stadium on Sunday.

Freshman Kate Runyon led Tennessee (6-3-4, 1-2-3 SEC) on offense with four shots on goal on the day. Redshirt-freshman Abby Reisz made the start in goal, making one save, and redshirt-sophomore Ally Zazzara took over in the second half, earning four saves on the day.

Ava Galligan found the net for LSU (8-5-1, 3-3-0 SEC), and Mollee Swift played the full game in the net, recording seven saves.

Tennessee kept the pressure up early on, rattling off four shots in the first seven minutes. Runyon got UT's best chance in the opening minutes when sophomore Macaira Midgley found her breaking into the box and Runyon put the ball on frame from 10 yards out. Swift knocked the ball wide, and Runyon got another shot off the rebound, but it was saved off the goal line by a Tiger defender.

In the 18^th minute, redshirt-sophomore Jenna Stayart broke through the back line and ripped a shot from 15 yards out, but it went straight to the LSU keeper.

With eight minutes to go in the first half, Midgley beat a defender near the half line and found space, threading a pass into the box that graduate Nayeli Diaz ran onto and tapped around the keeper toward the endline, but the LSU defense recovered before the Lady Vols could capitalize.

The Tigers only managed one shot to UT's nine in the first half, but the game remained knotted at zero through the half.

LSU found the net in the 51^st minute when Rammie Noel played a short ball back from the endline to Galligan who poked it over the line from inside the goal box.

The Tigers got another opportunity in the 57^th minute when Galligan got around Zazzara in a one-on-one situation, but senior Lawson Renie dropped to save the would-be goal.

LSU put two strong shots on goal in the 63^rd minute, but Zazzara came up with a pair of athletic saves to keep the deficit at one.

In the 81^st minute Simmonds took on three defenders and broke through the Tigers' back line, but her shot sailed just over the crossbar.

The Lady Vols created one more chance with 90 seconds to go in the match when a throw in from freshman Sarah Greiner rolled past the LSU keeper after a miscommunication by the Tigers' defense, and redshirt-senior Maria Nelson chased down the 50-50 ball to get a foot on it, but Swift managed to collect the save.

UP NEXT: The Lady Vols will return home to host Georgia on Friday in a 7 p.m. ET matchup.