BATON ROUGE, La. – The No. 25 nationally ranked LSU Soccer team has earned its fifth consecutive NCAA Tournament berth, securing a No. 4 seed placement and the opportunity to host first-round action this Friday in Baton Rouge.
LSU will kick off the NCAA postseason against Houston Christian in the first round on Friday, November 14 at 7 p.m. CT inside the LSU Soccer Stadium. Streaming details to come later.
The Tigers’ postseason berth comes on the heels of an impressive run in the SEC Tournament, where LSU advanced to the championship match for the first time since 2018. The Tigers collected wins over Auburn (3-2), No. 14 Tennessee (2-0), and Mississippi State (3-1) before battling No. 8 Vanderbilt to a 1-1 draw in the final that was decided on penalty kicks.
It was the third SEC Championship appearance in program history and the first under Head Coach Sian Hudson, who has guided LSU to five straight NCAA Tournament appearances since taking over the program in 2020.
The field of 64 teams was announced on Monday by the NCAA Division I Women’s Soccer Committee. 30 conferences were granted automatic bids for the 2025 championship, while the remaining 34 teams were selected at-large by the Division I Women’s Soccer Committee. LSU was one of 16 teams to earn a seed (4), matching their highest seed placement in the national tournament since 2009.
First round action begins across the country this weekend on Friday, Nov. 14 through Sunday, Nov. 16, while the second/third rounds will be held November 20 and 23, and quarterfinals set for November 28 or 29.
The 44th annual NCAA Women’s College Cup will be played Dec. 5 and 8 at CPKC Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri with the University of Kansas and Kansas City Sports Commission serving as hosts. The first national semifinal will be played and broadcast live on ESPNU at 5 p.m. CT on Friday, Dec. 5, followed by the second semifinal beginning at approximately 7:45 p.m. CT live on ESPNU. The national championship match will take place at 6 p.m. CT on Monday, Dec. 8 and will also broadcast live on ESPNU.
The Tigers enter the NCAA Tournament with a 13-5-3 overall record and are riding a program-record 10-match unbeaten streak (8-0-2). Junior forward Ava Galligan leads the Tigers with 10 goals on the season, followed by senior Ida Hermannsdottir (8) and freshman Sariyah Bailey (7). Graduate forward Morgan Witz added five goals, while 13 different Tigers found the scoresheet across 45 goals this year — LSU’s highest scoring output in SEC play since 2011.
Defensively, LSU has been anchored by captains Jazmin Ferguson and Kelsey Major, along with veterans Sydney Cheesman and Jocelyn Ollivierre, who have combined to hold opponents to just four goals in the SEC Tournament and record multiple clean sheets in postseason play.
The NCAA berth solidifies LSU’s position among the nation’s top programs as the Tigers continue to rise under Hudson’s leadership. LSU returned to the national rankings earlier this month, entering at No. 23 in the Top Drawer Soccer poll and No. 25 in the United Soccer Coaches rankings — its first national recognition since 2021 and first Top Drawer Soccer appearance since 2018.
NCAA Tournament History
LSU made its NCAA Tournament debut in 2007 and have since established themselves as a consistent postseason contender. The 2025 selection marks LSU’s 11th all-time appearance in the NCAA Tournament and the fifth straight under head coach Sian Hudson, the longest streak by a coach in LSU Soccer history. Prior to that, the longest streak of postseason appearances came in 2007-2009 under former head coach Brian Lee.
The Tigers have hosted first-round action four times in program history, with the last being in 2022 against Lamar as an eight-seed. That same year was the last time the Tigers advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament against No. 1 Florida State. The program has never advanced past the second round as they will look to use their recent momentum and make a run in the national tournament this year.
For more information on the 2025 NCAA Championships, visit NCAA.com. Television and streaming information is to come.
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