LSU soccer picks up second preseason shutout, goals from Kuehn, Johnson in 2-0 win over Southeastern

LSU goalie Mollee Swift (1) leads the Tigers' soccer team into its 2021 season opener at home Thursday night at 7 vs. Southern Miss. Photo courtesy: LSU athletics.

LSU’s soccer team earned its second exhibition win of the preseason Wednesday with a 2-0 win over Southeastern Louisiana at the LSU Soccer Stadium. 

“I’m pleased to have gotten two goals from midfield tonight,” LSU soccer coach Sian Hudson said. “I think that this is a team that will be able to spread the goals around to multiple sources. I’m happy that Athena (Kuehn) was able to get her first goal with us, and just very proud of the growth that we’ve seen in the past week from the team. We’re overall just very happy.” 

The Tigers opened the scoring on the night in the 32nd minute when forward Tinaya Alexander carried the ball into the right-hand side of the box, beat her defender before squaring a pass to midfielder Athena Kuehn, who tucked the ball in the goal with her first touch from seven yards out. 

“I was able to make a run into the box and she played a perfect ball at my feet,” said Kuehn, a graduate transfer from Minnesota. “I deflected it off the girl and into the goal.”

LSU quickly struck again only two minutes later when senior Meghan Johnson picked up on a loose ball from just outside the 18-yard box and brought it forward before her shot from 15 yards out was tucked into the bottom-right corner. 

Goalkeepers Mollee Swift and Bella Zanotelli split their efforts, with Swift commanding the posts in the first half and Zanotelli taking charge in the second on their way to a combined clean sheet. Swift denied the Lions’ only shot on target in the 17th minute with an aerial effort to deflect the goal-bound shot. 

“There are somethings to tweak and fix,” LSU senior defender Reese Moffatt said. “But I think for the first couple of games we’ve done pretty well.”

LSU concludes its preseason Saturday with a road trip to face Stephen F. Austin at 3 p.m. 

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