LSU forward Alex Thomas nailed two goals in the second half against Mississippi State as the Tigers played the Bulldogs to a 2-2 draw on Sunday afternoon at the LSU Soccer Stadium.
The Tigers (7-1-2, 0-1-2) recorded their second-straight draw in conference play after playing Alabama to a draw on Thursday.
With the draw, the Tigers extended their unbeaten streak against the Bulldogs to 16-straight matches at 14-0-2 since the 2002 season.
Mississippi State’s Mallory Eubanks scored the first goal of the game in the 21st minute of the first half that was delayed twice due to lightning.
In the second half, Thomas led the way for the Tigers, scoring one of her goals in the 49th minute and the other in the 64 minute. In her goal immediately after halftime, Thomas finished on a far post following the lay off by senior Zoe Higgins at the top of the six-yard box.
“Zoe’s back was turned, and I was in a better position,” said Thomas at the end of the match. “I was just like, ‘Zoe!’ She saw me and laid it off. It was a pretty easy finish. I just had to put it in the corner.”
Securing her two goals in the contest, Thomas leads the Tigers in goals this season with six.
With a 2-1 lead and looking to secure their first conference win of the season, the Bulldogs ended the Tigers’ dream of doing so.
With just over six minutes left in the game, Tigers goalkeeper Caroline Brockmeier tried to save the game for the Tigers with a dramatic reaction save of Bulldogs’ MaKayla Waldner’s breakaway attempt. Waldner, however, in the final four minutes of play, still managed to score her sixth goal of the season, giving the Bulldogs a point and the eventual draw in the game.
LSU soccer coach Brian Lee said he was proud the way his team fought to come back in the game, despite falling short in the victory.
“SEC games are hard, and I thought it was a great comeback,” Lee said. “We got down and came back strongly. I thought our fight was awesome, a good collective effort from everybody. I thought today we took our foot off the gas when it was 2-1, and in the SEC it’s not enough.
“We are reliant on our seniors. For them to bring it themselves, when push comes to shove they have to carry the day. There’s a learning curve for some of the younger kids, and this should be a learning experience for our team.”
LSU returns to action on Friday as the Tigers travel to Lexington to face the Kentucky Wildcats. The game is scheduled to start at 6:30 p.m. on the SEC Network.
