After facing a 1-0 deficit coming out of the halftime break, seniors Taryne Boudreau and Allysha Chapman led an offensive explosion in the second half as the LSU soccer team emerged with a thrilling 3-2 victory over SEC West rival Ole Miss in a back-and-forth affair on Sunday afternoon.

The Tigers came out firing in the second half as Boudreau equalized in the 49^th minute to draw LSU level at 1-1 and Chapman followed with her first career goal in the 54^th minute for the 2-1 lead. Boudreau came back in the 86^th minute with what proved to be the winner in LSU’s 3-2 victory over the Rebels.

The Tigers (7-3-1, 2-0 SEC) extended their unbeaten streak to seven-straight games on the season as they are now 6-0-1 since picking up a 2-1 road win at Houston on Sept. 6.

With the win, LSU also extended its unbeaten streak to four-straight fixtures against Ole Miss (4-5-1, 0-2) as the Rebels have now dropped each of their last three decisions. The Tigers are now 8-6-4 in 18 matches against their division rivals, which includes a 2-0-2 mark in their current four-game unbeaten streak.

Not only that, but the Tigers also picked up the fifth weekend sweep to open SEC play in program history after scoring a 5-1 win over Mississippi State in their conference opener on Friday night.

“I think we were surprised by the competitiveness of it in the first half. Sundays in the SEC are extremely difficult and can become more of a physical test that gives the advantage to the team that shows the effort early in the game,” said LSU head coach Brian Lee. “To give up the goal with a second left was a little bit disappointing. I thought we could have been more composed at the end of the half.

“To turn it around in the second half and win it showed the level of character we have on this team. It was a championship effort from our kids in the second half. That was special to see us come out and get a lead so quickly. And we showed great character again after they scored to make it 2-2. It’s a great win.”

After it seemed the sides would take a scoreless draw into the break, the Rebels scored the first goal of the match with just one second remaining on the clock when midfielder Dylan Jordan pounced on a loose ball in the box following a failed clearance by the Tigers on an Ole Miss corner kick. 

With the final seconds ticking away, Jordan finished a strike from about eight yards out in front of goal on her third goal of the season as the clock read 44:59 just before the break.

But the Tigers came out flying in the second half and immediately seized control of the game as Boudreau scored her first goal of the game and sixth of the season inside of four minutes of the kickoff. After junior striker Carlie Banks played the ball in space behind the Rebel back line, senior Natalie Martineau beat the Ole Miss goalkeeper Alley Ronaldi to the ball in the right side of the area and centered a pass to Boudreau standing alone inside the six-yard box. Boudreau’s one-timer tied the game at 1-1 at the 48:24 mark.

And it didn’t take long after Boudreau’s equalizer for LSU to grab its first lead of the afternoon following a delightful run through the Ole Miss defense by Chapman that resulted in her first career goal.

Chapman took possession in her own end of the field when Addie Eggleston lost control of the ball with a tackle near the midfield stripe. She then ripped through the Ole Miss midfield and dribbled past two Rebel defenders near the top of the area before firing a left-footed strike from 10 yards out inside the left post as the Tigers gained the 2-1 advantage at the 53:08 mark.

It was Ole Miss’ turn to draw level in the 80^th minute when midfielder Jenna Strother finished a one-timer inside the six-yard box on an end-line service from fellow midfielder Mandy McCalla. Strother scored the goal against the run of play as the clock neared 10 minutes to play in regulation.

Boudreau then provided another stroke of brilliance in the 86^th minute with a left-footed cracker from near the top of the box as she received an entry pass from Martineau with her back to goal before rounding her defender and firing the game-winning strike inside the top-left corner of the net at the 85:49 mark.

Boudreau scored four of LSU’s eight goals in the weekend sweep as her seven goals and 17 points for the campaign are new career highs for a single season.

“I knew it was going in when it left my foot,” Boudreau said of her game-winning strike. “It was all about our effort. We have a lot of talent on this team, but we need to keep fighting for each other giving our best effort each time we step out there. I think that showed. We played with better effort in the second half and got the win. This was definitely a big win for our team and one we needed at home.”

The Tigers are set to wrap up an eight-game homestand next weekend with matches against Tennessee on Friday, Sept. 30, at 7 p.m. CDT and Georgia on Sunday, Oct. 2, at 1 p.m. at the LSU Soccer Stadium. The sides come to Baton Rouge with matching 1-1 records in SEC play after opening weekend.

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