Although senior midfielder Taryne Boudreau scored her 10^th goal of the season on a free kick in the 18^th minute of play to give the Tigers a 1-0 lead, the LSU soccer team surrendered four unanswered goals to the South Carolina Gamecocks while falling by a 4-1 score in its 2011 home finale Thursday at the LSU Soccer Stadium.

With the defeat, the Tigers (11-6-1, 6-3 SEC) fell back into sole possession of fourth place overall in the SEC standings. The Gamecocks (13-5, 7-2) held their position in a tie atop the SEC table as they are on 21 points with the Florida Gators following Thursday’s action.

LSU took the early 1-0 lead in the 18^th minute after Gamecock defender Ellen Fahey was issued a yellow card on a takedown of Tiger senior midfielder Allysha Chapman near the top of the area.

Fellow senior Taryne Boudreau buried the ensuing free kick with a 20-yard strike that curled over the outstretched arms of South Carolina goalkeeper Sabrina D’Angelo and inside the right post on 17:58 to give the Tigers the lead with her 10^th goal of the season.

But the Gamecocks would equalize before the break on a corner kick 35^th minute on a corner kick from the left corner flag by senior striker Kayla Grimsley. Fahey flicked Grimsley’s service to the far post, where Ariane Lukens scored a header for her first goal of the season and even the total at 1-1 at the 34:42 mark of the first half.

Lukens then gave the Gamecocks a 2-1 lead less than six minutes into the second half by netting a second goal on the night on another South Carolina corner kick.

While taking the corner kick from the right side, defender Andie Romness found Lukens’ head on the back post as Lukens went up and over the Tiger defense and fired a strike inside the left post for what proved to be the game-winner at the 50:54 mark of the second half.

The Gamecocks then put the game out of reach while scoring a pair of goals within 90 seconds of one another midway through the second half. Fahey scored her first goal of the season with a header from near the top of the six-yard box on a free kick taken by Romness from the left side at the 65:51 mark. Striker Lolly Holland provided the final margin at the 67:17 mark when scoring a breakaway on a ball played through the LSU back line by Grimsley.

Thursday was Senior Night at the LSU Soccer Stadium, as Boudreau and Chapman were honored prior to the match along with fellow seniors Mo Isom, Natalie Martineau and Kellie Murphy.

The Tigers return to action on Sunday in Gainesville, Fla., as they take on SEC co-leading Florida in a match scheduled to kick off at 1 p.m. CDT at James G. Pressley Stadium. The match is slated for a live nationally-televised broadcast on ESPNU.