The Tigers (5-9-2, 1-5-1 SEC) also dropped their second-straight match on the University of Tennessee campus as the Lady Volunteers (7-7-1, 2-4-1) snapped a three-game winless streak with the victory.

Just when forward Christine Creighton seemed to put the match out of the reach by doubling Tennessee’s advantage to 2-0 at the 80:01 mark of the second half, the Tigers struck back 56 seconds following the ensuing kickoff as Baucom buried the loose ball on a scramble inside the six-yard box to pull LSU to within 2-1 of the hosts at the 80:57 mark and with nine minutes to equalize and force extra time.

The visitors were unable to draw level before the full-time whistle as they went down to defeat for the third-straight time in Southeastern Conference play to remain on four points in the race for the SEC Tournament.

Tennessee created the first opportunity of the match from a corner kick in the 11^th minute of play when Anna McClung one-timed Susan Ferguson’s cross just inches over the crossbar from near the penalty spot.

The Tigers nearly struck from a throw-in on the other end when Emma Fletcher’s floated cross to the far post from the left side hit Megan Lee in stride behind the Tennessee defense for an attempt fired just over the crossbar from the top of the six-yard box. Lee’s strike would have given the Tigers a deserved lead in the 15^th minute of play.

LSU’s front line came close again to combining for the breakthrough just three minutes later when Baucom and fellow striker Summer Clarke continued their assault on the Lady Vols’ back line.

Freshman midfielder Ella Williams started the attack in the 18^th minute when she hit Clarke in stride down the right flank with the outside of her right boot as the all-conference forward then drove past her defender in space in the right side of the penalty area. Clarke centered to Baucom, whose one-time effort from the spot was blocked by one of Tennessee’s center backs before Clarke followed with a rebound over the bar.

After playing scoreless in the opening 45 minutes, the Tigers came out firing in the second half as Baucom again nearly handed the visitors an advantage in the 50^th minute when she was played into space by Clarke just inside the penalty area. Baucom took two touches and tested Tennessee’s goalkeeper Jamie Simmons with a strike from the spot, but the Simmons denied Baucom the breakthrough at the 50-minute mark.

The home side turned up the pressure straightaway and broke the deadlock in the 53^rd minute as striker Amy Neal scored unassisted with a strike from near the right end line to give the Lady Volunteers a lead at 1-0 at the 52:16 mark of the second half. Neal squeezed in her team-leading fourth goal of the season to put Tennessee on top early in the second half.

Creighton doubled Tennessee’s advantage to 2-0 in the 81^st minute when she headed home from eight yards on a cross into the box from the left side by fellow forward Aaran Parry. That’s when Baucom pulled a goal back on the other end with her team-leading eighth goal of the season to set up a furious finish over the final nine minutes of play.

With Friday’s match at Tennessee now in the books, the Tigers will make the trip to Athens, Georgia, on Sunday to face the 16^th-ranked Georgia Bulldogs in a match that is set to kick off at 2 p.m. CT at the Turner Soccer Complex. Sunday’s match will broadcast to a live national television audience on ESPNU as the Tigers make their third national television appearance on the year.

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