Tulane University
LSU
Women's Soccer Falls to LSU, 2-1
Oct 25, 2000 | Women's Soccer
Oct. 25, 2000
BATON ROUGE, La. - - LSU scored a pair of goals in a two-minute span late in the second half to claim a 2-1 win over the Tulane women's soccer team on Wednesday.
LSU improved to 15-5-0 overall with the win, while Tulane dropped to 8-9-0 with the loss. The loss was Tulane's first against a Louisiana school since 1996, with that defeat also coming against LSU.
After the teams battled through a scoreless first half, Tulane struck first blood with a goal in the 58th minute. A Tiffany Lawson flip throw-in was cleared over the endline for the Green Wave corner kick. Freshman Jaclyn Benjamin served the ball from the left corner and Colleen Lake crushed a header into the back of the net from six yards out to put the Wave up 1-0. Tulane looked to have earned a penalty kick in the 74th minute when Colleen Lake was taken down from behind in the LSU penalty area, but the referee allowed play to continue.
Tulane continued to maintain its attack on the LSU goal, as the Tigers were content to absorb pressure and play long balls to their forwards. With Tulane holding onto the one-goal advantage, the strategy worked with 10 minutes remaining. LSU got the ball at the right endline, where Rachel Cohen served a ball across the goalmouth. As the ball bounced through the Tulane penalty area, LSU's Melissa Shelton was able to re-direct it into the Wave goal to level the scores at 1-1 in the 81st minute.
LSU claimed the game-winner just over two minutes later. Cohen picked up an errant Tulane pass and played the ball forward for Kara Dean to convert from 16-yards out.
Tulane held a slight 12-10 advantage in shots, though the Wave forced six saves from LSU goalkeeper Bonnie Otillo. Goalkeeper Jaclyn Urso was called on to make just one save in the Green Wave nets. LSU earned four second-half corner kicks, while Tulane's lone corner kick, also in the second half, resulted in Lake's goal.
Tulane returns to action on Friday, as the Green Wave close out the regular season with a road contest against Conference USA rival Southern Mississippi. The game holds seeding implications for the upcoming Conference USA tournament, as both the Wave and the Golden Eagles hold identical 5-5-0 league records. A win by either team guarantees the victor the No. 5 seed, though the Wave could earn the No. 5 seed with a tie.
