Photograph: Badji (Photograph courtesy of LSU-E)
EUNICE, La. – In a physical matchup featuring 29 fouls and eight cautions, it was LSUE speedster Alexandre Badji guiding the 11th-ranked Bengals to a 4-3 overtime victory over Coastal Bend on Wednesday at the Bengal Soccer Complex. Badji netted his second hat trick of the season as LSUE (11-3) advanced in the Gulf South District Tournament.
LSU Eunice advances to play Angelina College on the road this Saturday. Game time from Lufkin will be announced at a later date.
“I thought the team showed a lot of toughness today, being able to respond to adversity any time it was thrown their way,” LSU Eunice Men’s Soccer head coach Matthew Wolf said. “We survived and advanced today and I am proud of our team’s resolve.”
LSUE would net the golden goal with a total team effort in the 98th minute. After Alcibiades Duran executed a sliding tackle in the Bengals’ defensive end, Kei Nagakura quickly a lofted a bouncing pass to a sprinting Jose Escobar. The sophomore would scamper into the box, firing a shot that ricocheted right to Alexandre Badji for the open net goal.
All of Badji’s goals came after halftime as the two teams were tied 1-1 at intermission.
After Coastal Bend would hold its first and only lead of the game in the first few minutes of the second half, Badji and the Bengals were quick to answer less than five minutes later. Victor Dominguez played a perfectly placed inlet pass to Badji as he used an outside heel kick on the volley to chip it past the Coastal Bend goalkeeper.
That would set up a wild final ten minutes of regulation as Badji would temporarily give the Bengals the lead back, rifling home a right footed laser inside the box in the 79th minute. The would be go ahead was set up by Jose Escobar, one of his two assists on the afternoon.
Coastal Bend would send to overtime with an equalizing goal with less than two minutes left before the regulation horn.
Badji brings his total to ten goals on the campaign, becoming just the third Bengal in program history to reach double digit goals in a single season. The Canadian joins Noah Wagner, who accomplished the feat twice, and Adrian Franco.
Tyler Bridgewater would tally the first goal of the day, hammering home a bouncing cross from Jacob Agazzi 11 minutes into the game. Coastal Bend would respond with less than ten minutes before the break, capitalizing on a penalty kick after LSUE was called for a handball inside the 18-yard box.
Eddie Roberts would come up a couple of huge saves in the first overtime, totaling 11 stops on the day.
The victory improves LSUE’s win streak to ten games, the second longest in program history.
Celebrating the Win (Photograph courtesy of LSU-E)
