The Tigers (3-1) bounced back in a big way from their first defeat of the season suffered on Sunday night in their first meeting with the Colonels (2-3) on the soccer pitch since the 2004 season. It is a series in which LSU has dominated as the home side ran its record to 6-1 all-time against its in-state rival.

The Tigers were rewarded for their early pressure in the eighth minute of play when Pina netted her first goal of the season and ninth goal of her collegiate career to put the Tigers on top 1-0.

With rookie midfielder Madeline Ramsey leading the attack down the left side, Clarke received a pass from the South Carolina native in the left side of the area and beat her defender to the end line where she pulled back an entry pass to Pina running toward the back post. Pina buried a one-time strike into the back of the net to get off the mark this season and give the Tigers an early lead at the 7:11 mark of the first half.

“Yeah, that was my first goal. It was great!” Pina exclaimed when talking with the media afterward. “I want to score each game, of course, but tonight was my first and I’m really happy it happened. We were prepared for this game, and I’m glad we got this win. I’m very happy to be a part of this team and to have the opportunity to be on the field.

“It’s just all about being ready mentally and physically. You’ve got to come out ready to play and ready to run and work hard. We did that tonight, and I think had a good performance to get the win.”

Clarke then doubled their advantage on 19 minutes with her team-leading third goal of the season when she raced into the six-yard box and fired home a header from Natalia Gomez-Junco’s free kick that smashed off the crossbar from 20 yards out just beyond the penalty area. Clarke caught the defense ball-watching for an easy finish after Gomez-Junco’s free kick fired off the crossbar and into the turf below.

“I don’t score very many headers, so that was fun to be able to finish it,” Clarke said of her goal. “Fernanda was screaming for the ball on the other side, so I hit her and she just hit it one-time (for the first goal). One of our goals is to take one or two touches and play it to someone’s feet. We tried to do that a lot better in this game. Communication was a lot better in this game, too.”

Baucom then trebled LSU’s lead before halftime with the third goal of her rookie campaign with an composed finish on a breakaway after being played through the Colonel defense on a header in midfield by Christyna Pitre. Baucom beat Nicholls State goalkeeper Taylor Moseley to the ball near the top of the area after Pitre headed a goal kick into space behind the back line.

It was just what the doctor ordered for the Tigers as they bounced back straightaway from their first defeat of the campaign when they fell to the Rice Owls by a 1-0 scoreline on Sunday evening in Baton Rouge.

Rookie goalkeeper Lily Alfeld stayed alert between the posts throughout the night as she saved each of Nicholls State’s three shots on target in the match, most notably denying Spencer Valdespino on a whistling shot from 10 yards out in the 10^th minute of the first half and Emily Werenskiold on a close-range effort on a corner kick in the 57^th minute of the second half.

“It was just really in how we played and how we competed for the 90 minutes,” said LSU head coach Brian Lee on his team rebounding from Sunday’s defeat. “For the first time this fall, I thought we started getting the pass and move idea, and trusting each other and just playing more attractive soccer.”

The Tigers held the advantage in the run of play throughout the night, finishing with a 21-5 advantage in total shots, a 10-3 lead in shots on target and narrow 5-4 edge in corner kicks over the 90 minutes of action.

With their four-game homestand to open the season now in the books, the Tigers will go on the road for the first time in 2014 on Friday night with a trip to Fort Worth, Texas, to face the TCU Horned Frogs in a match to kick off at 7 p.m. CT at the Garvey-Rosenthal Stadium. They will then return home on Monday, Sept. 8, when they play host to Stephen F. Austin with kickoff set for 7 p.m. at the LSU Soccer Stadium.