Fueled by a season-high four goals by four different goal scorers in the first half of play, the LSU soccer team extended its unbeaten streak to six-straight games with a decisive 5-1 win over the Mississippi State Bulldogs in Friday’s SEC opener at the LSU Soccer Stadium.

Not only did the Tigers (6-3-1, 1-0 SEC) remain unbeaten in six matches with Friday’s league victory, but they also snapped a five-game unbeaten streak by the Bulldogs (3-4-2, 0-1) before an impressive crowd of 1,508 supporters that ranks as the ninth-largest home crowd in program history

The Tigers are now winners of seven-straight against the Bulldogs since 2005 and unbeaten in 10-straight matches dating back to the 2002 season as they improve to 14-2-1 in the all-time series.

“This was an important win because we needed to build a head of steam with SEC play now under way. It is going to be a grind,” said LSU head coach Brian Lee. “It was great to see such a comprehensive performance tonight. Our fans created an amazing atmosphere for us. The Sidekicks in particular came up big tonight and were extremely loud and supportive. The team really responded to that.”

Sophomore striker Addie Eggleston opened the scoring just 10 minutes into the contest by chipping a shot from 14 yards in the left side of the penalty box across the face of goal and inside the right post for her first goal of the campaign. She then led an attack minutes later by slotting a through ball past the Bulldogs back line to senior midfielder Taryne Boudreau running free on the breakaway. Boudreau fired a strike on frame from eight yards that found the back of the net for the 2-0 lead at the 12:57 mark.

That opened the floodgates for the Tigers as senior Kellie Murphy made it 3-0 on the half hour by firing a header into the back of the net from the top of the six-yard box on a beautiful ball played into the box by Boudreau on LSU’s first of seven corner kicks on the night. It was Murphy’s third goal of the season.

Freshman striker Kaley Blades then made it 4-0 in favor of the Tigers less than three minutes after joining the contest late in the first half as she opened her account in the 37^th minute.

After making a class run into the box, junior Reyna Lubin centered a pass through two Bulldogs to Blades standing in the middle of the area. Blades buried a strike from 10 yards at 36:04 to close out the scoring in the first half and give the Tigers a commanding 4-0 lead heading into the halftime break.

By scoring four goals in the first half of Friday’s match, the Tigers have now scored four goals in a half in three-straight matches against the Bulldogs. That includes the first half during the 2009 season and second half a year ago in another four-goal victory by a 6-2 margin in Starkville.

The Tigers then turned up the heat out of the locker room as Boudreau pushed their advantage to 5-0 only 97 seconds into the second half. After senior Natalie Martineau played a ball through the Bulldog defense on the breakaway, Boudreau struck again from 10 yards out with her second goal of the match at 46:17 to put the match well out of reach. Boudreau now leads the team with five goals on the season, which is also among the top-five goal scorers in the Southeastern Conference for 2011.

With the outcome already assured, striker Jasmine Simmons pulled one back for the Bulldogs nearing the 70^th minute as she got loose on a breakaway and scored from about eight yards out with her team-leading second goal of the season at the 68:32 mark. Lauren Morgan assisted on the goal.

The Tigers will now turn their attention to Sunday’s SEC West showdown against the Ole Miss Rebels as the match is set to kick off at 1 p.m. CDT at the LSU Soccer Stadium.

The Rebels (4-4-1, 0-1) are coming off a heartbreaking 2-1 overtime defeat to Arkansas on Friday night in their conference opener in Fayetteville. LSU and Ole Miss have enjoyed one of the SEC’s most competitive rivalries in recent years as the sides have played to draws in four of six matches since 2006. It is a series in which the Tigers are 1-1-4 against the Rebels during that span.

---

RECOMMENDED FOR YOU

Men's NCAA Tournament First Round Recap

TeamRank Presented By TeamSnap - Boys

Midwest High School Roundup - Nov.