On a cloudy Friday evening at Donald R. Dizney Stadium, Florida looked poised to win its second consecutive conference match, but Louisiana State was hungry for a win after a difficult start to the season.
After 90 minutes, the box score read 18-5 in shots and 10-3 in corners, both in favor of Florida. Yet it was LSU (3-8-1) who came away with a 2-1 victory over Florida (5-4-3). The Gators suffered their first home loss in conference play and fell to 1-2-2 in the SEC stretch.
Senior forward Lena Bailey made her first start since Aug. 20 against Coastal Carolina and immediately made her presence felt, recording the first shot of the match. Bailey dribbled into the LSU penalty box, made a nice move to her right and fired a shot that sailed over the net .
The Gators continued to press the Tigers, and Bailey recorded her second shot of the match, which deflected off an LSU defender and went out for a corner. Florida was unable to capitalize on the ensuing set piece, but the opportunity sparked confidence that its offensive pressure would eventually pay off.
By the 15th minute, the Gators had already won four corners. On the fourth, freshman midfielder Courtney Hogan found the ball outside the 18-yard box but sent her attempt over the net.
One minute later, the Tigers recorded their first chance of the match. Junior midfielder Linka Ono fired a shot but sailed it wide of the Gators’ goal.
In the 22nd minute, Florida’s high press helped it take the lead. Hogan played a well-placed pass to senior forward Zoe Main on the right side of the box. Main beat her defender, dribbled the ball onto her left foot and slotted her shot into the back of the net to make it 1-0.
The goal marked Main’s second consecutive conference home match with a goal and her fifth of the season.
She continued to apply pressure on the right side and nearly recorded a brace after outrunning an LSU defender, but the Tigers were able to prevent another goal.
Against the run of play, LSU equalized. Ono received a pass on the right side of the field, shifted the ball onto her left foot and sent a picture-perfect cross into the box. The pass found senior forward Ava Galligan, who tapped it in to tie the match.
The former 2025 All-SEC first-team selection recorded her team-high fifth goal of the season, giving the Tigers momentum.
Making her second collegiate appearance, Florida freshman defender Addison Dean nearly put the Gators back in front. On Florida’s fifth corner of the night, Dean fired a shot on goal, forcing the first save of the night by LSU goalkeeper Audur Scheving.
After the opening 45 minutes, Florida had outshot LSU 9-2 and held a 6-0 advantage in corners. But those numbers didn’t translate to results as the match remained tied.
Florida came out firing on offense in search of the go-ahead goal to start the second half. Sophomore midfielder Tatum Borman dribbled the ball onto her right foot, but her attempt sailed over the LSU net.
In the 49th minute, LSU won its first corner of the night and nearly was awarded a penalty when Bailey pulled down a Tigers player in the box. However, after a VAR check, it was determined the contact was not enough to warrant a penalty kick.
On just its third shot of the night, LSU took the lead. Sophomore forward Sariyah Bailey sent a ball to Galligan, who beat the last defender, Florida’s Lael Hill, and slotted her shot home to make it 2-1.
Galligan has been excellent against Florida throughout her career. Last season, she recorded a brace in the Tigers’ 4-1 victory over the Gators and notched her first brace of the season Friday.
Trailing for the first time all night, Florida needed an answer but couldn’t find a way through LSU’s backline and was forced to retreat into the midfield. Fifteen minutes into the half, Borman’s shot remained Florida’s lone attempt.
In the 70th minute, freshman midfielder Iori Watanabe had a good look at goal and fired a low shot, but it lacked power, allowing Scheving to record her second save of the night.
A minute later, Main beat two LSU defenders and fired a shot toward the goal, but Scheving dove to her left and punched it away with her left hand. On the ensuing corner, redshirt sophomore forward Addy Hess flicked a header toward goal. Scheving had to retreat but made the save just off the goal line.
From that point forward, Florida maintained pressure on the attack. By the 75th minute, the Gators had doubled LSU’s shot total, 14-4.
In the 77th minute, Hess fired a shot from outside the box, but Scheving didn’t have to move and collected the ball with both hands. Then, in the 83rd minute, sophomore midfielder Adia Symmonds fired a daring shot from well outside the box. Symmonds struck it cleanly with her left foot, but Scheving made her sixth save of the match.
Watanabe recorded another shot with three minutes remaining, but her attempt deflected off an LSU defender and fell into Scheving’s gloves.
With two minutes remaining, Florida had one final opportunity to equalize, and it was all up to the VAR review booth. It appeared Bailey was fouled in the box, but play continued. After review, there was no indisputable evidence that the contact was enough to warrant a penalty, and that was it for the Gators.
Florida returns to action Thursday against No. 5 Alabama (11-1). Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. at Donald R. Dizney Stadium.
Contact Zach Moore at zmoore@alligator.org. Follow him on X @zach_moore27.
Zach is a junior sports journalism student in his third semester at The Alligator. He currently covers soccer for the Fall 2026 season after previously serving as the softball reporter. Zach also has experience as a play-by-play broadcaster in the Florida Collegiate Summer League for the Winter Garden Squeeze. In his free time, Zach enjoys going to the gym and watching sports, especially his favorite teams: the Minnesota Vikings, Arsenal FC, Houston Astros, Orlando Magic and Orlando City SC. A fun fact about Zach is that he is also an avid WWE fan.
