The Florida State women’s soccer team will face a well-known foe to begin the Faculty Cup.
North Carolina.
The Tar Heels (19-4-1) have been the one group to defeat FSU (17-2-3) on the Seminole Soccer Complicated this season, profitable 2-1 within the Oct. 20 match. FSU later dropped UNC within the ACC Match Finals, incomes a 2-1 victory within the Nov. 6 match.
So it is going to be a rubber match of types when the 2 ACC groups conflict for a 3rd time within the Faculty Cup Semifinals at 6 p.m. Friday in Cary, N.C. (TV: ESPNU).
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If the top-seed Seminoles beat the two-seed Tar Heels, they’d advance to play the winner of Alabama and UCLA. These two one-seeds will sq. off in opposition to one another at 7:30 p.m. Friday, which could be seen on ESPNU.
The NCAA Championship is scheduled for subsequent Monday at 6 p.m.
How do every of those 4 groups measure up? And the way did they attain the Faculty Cup? Right here’s a breakdown of FSU, UNC, Alabama and UCLA.
1. Florida State (17-2-3)
How they reached the Faculty Cup: Defeated Florida Gulf Coast (3-0), LSU (4-1), Pittsburgh (3-0) and Arkansas (1-0).
Offense: 2.82 targets per sport (4th out of 337 groups nationally), 2.59 assists per sport (seventh), 8.23 factors per sport (4th), 16.77 pictures per sport (thirty second), 8.14 pictures on aim per sport (twenty first), 48.5% shot accuracy (78th).
Offensive leaders
Objectives: Onyi Echegini (10).
Assists: Jenna Nighswonger (16).
Factors: Jenna Nighswonger (28).
Pictures: Jenna Nighswonger (81).
Pictures on aim: Jenna Nighswonger (33).
Protection: 0.765 goals-against common (thirty ninth), 3.59 saves per sport (230th), 82.3% save proportion (forty ninth), 50% shutout proportion (thirty eighth).
High goalkeeper: Cristina Roque (12-1-3) | 16 video games, 16 begins, 12 targets allowed, 0.74 goals-against common, 57 saves, 82.6% save proportion, seven shutouts.
Evaluation: FSU might be taking part in in its third straight Faculty Cup, and its fourth within the final 5 seasons.
So the Seminoles know what it takes to win at this stage of the NCAA Match, even when they’re taking part in for a first-year coach in Brian Pensky.
“Expertise, in all walks of life, breeds confidence,” Pensky stated in a press convention Monday. “And it additionally breeds a calmness about you. I’m fortunate to be the coach of a gaggle of youngsters who’re very skilled at a excessive degree.”
When FSU employed Pensky in late April, he inherited a program that had been lingering in a state of uncertainty. Three-time nationwide championship coach Mark Krikorian abruptly resigned in March, prompting greater than a dozen gamers to enter the switch portal earlier than the Could 1 deadline.
Pensky helped persuade a majority of these gamers to return to the Seminoles, which is generally why they’ve been dominant once more this season. His subsequent problem might be to finish the job and lead this group to defending its 2021 nationwide title.
“I’m not going to say nationwide championship or bust,” Pensky stated. “Our children celebrated, as they need to, after we received the common season (ACC championship) and after we received the (ACC) match. They have been actually, actually excited and completely satisfied.
“But they speak about it the entire time. Successful the nationwide championship is the measurement and the benchmark right here. There may be an especially excessive give attention to that.”
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2. North Carolina (19-4-1)
How they reached the Faculty Cup: Defeated Outdated Dominion (5-0), Georgia (3-1), BYU (3-2) and Notre Dame (2-0).
Offense: 2.42 targets per sport (fifteenth), 2.21 assists per sport (twentieth), 7.04 factors per sport (14th), 17.25 pictures per sport (twenty fifth), 8.12 pictures on aim per sport (twenty second), 47.1% shot accuracy (114th).
Offensive leaders
Objectives: Avery Patterson (11).
Assists: Avery Patterson and Isabel Cox (8).
Factors: Avery Patterson (30).
Pictures: Ally Sentnor (73).
Pictures on aim: Avery Patterson (31).
Protection: 0.619 goals-against common (thirteenth), 2.79 saves per sport (308th), 81.7% save proportion (sixtieth), 62.5% shutout proportion (sixth).
High goalkeeper: Emmie Allen (18-3-1) | 24 video games, 24 begins, 12 targets allowed, 0.59 goals-against common, 53 saves, 81.5% save proportion, eight shutouts.
Evaluation: UNC has been affected by accidents all season.
The Tar Heels first misplaced their All-America defender and senior captain, Maycee Bell, to a season-ending torn meniscus damage in her left knee. Midfielder Sam Meza, who claimed second-team All-ACC honors final season, and defenders Abby Allen and Kayleigh Herr are amongst UNC’s different gamers who’ve been out with accidents.
Nonetheless, the Tar Heels are having one other spectacular season below longtime coach Anson Dorrance. His schematic swap from a 4-3-3 formation to a 3-5-2 has performed a significant function of their success this postseason.
“Anson has all the time been the measuring stick,” stated Pensky in regards to the 21-time nationwide champion coach. “After which Mark got here round about 18 years in the past. The 2 of them have gone toe to toe for the final 17 years till this fall.
“I’ve watched these battles from afar and with a ton of admiration for each of them.”
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1. Alabama (23-2-1)
How they reached the Faculty Cup: Defeated Jackson State (9-0), Portland (2-1), UC Irvine (3-1) and Duke (3-2 in time beyond regulation).
Offense: 2.92 targets per sport (2nd), 2.62 assists per sport (sixth), 8.46 factors per sport (2nd), 20.31 pictures per sport (4th), 8.62 pictures on aim per sport (fifteenth), 42.4% shot accuracy (257th).
Offensive leaders
Objectives: Riley Mattingly Parker (17).
Assists: Felicia Knox (20).
Factors: Riley Mattingly Parker (41).
Pictures: Felicia Knox (65).
Pictures on aim: Riley Mattingly Parker (32).
Protection: 0.648 goals-against common (nineteenth), 2.92 saves per sport (295th), 81.7% save proportion (59th), 46.2% shutout proportion (sixty fifth).
High goalkeeper: McKinley Crone (23-2-1) | 26 video games, 26 begins, 17 targets allowed, 0.67 goals-against common, 73 saves, 81.1% save proportion, 10 shutouts.
Evaluation: Alabama lacks the ladies’s soccer accolades that FSU, UNC and UCLA have amassed through the years.
The Crimson Tide should not solely showing of their first-ever Faculty Cup. Additionally they had not received an NCAA Match match till final season. To not point out Alabama has not produced an All-America participant in program historical past, although which may change after this season.
Eighth-year coach Wes Hart – a former FSU assistant who helped lead the Seminoles to their first nationwide title in 2014 – is clearly taking Alabama to new heights.
“Wes is one in every of my greatest associates on this sport. He has completed an exceptional job,” Pensky stated. “They’re a terrific mix of powerful, athletic, aggressive and soccer taking part in. He’s obtained his 4-4-2, and they’re actually difficult.”
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1. UCLA (20-2-1)
How they reached the Faculty Cup: Defeated Northern Arizona (4-1), UCF (1-1 tie earlier than profitable 3-0 in penalty kicks), Northwestern (2-0) and Virginia (2-1 in time beyond regulation).
Offense: 2.70 targets per sport (seventh), 2.39 assists per sport (twelfth), 7.78 factors per sport (seventh), 18.30 pictures per sport (fifteenth), 8.78 pictures on aim per sport (ninth), 48.0% shot accuracy (86th).
Offensive leaders
Objectives: Sunshine Fontes (11).
Assists: Ally Lemos (8).
Factors: Sunshine Fontes (29).
Pictures: Reilyn Turner (58).
Pictures on aim: Reilyn Turner (35).
Protection: 0.512 goals-against common (sixth), 3.00 saves per sport (285th), 85.2% save proportion (14th), 56.5% shutout proportion (seventeenth).
High goalkeeper: Lauren Brzykcy (20-2-1) | 23 video games, 23 begins, 11 targets allowed, 0.52 goals-against common, 61 saves, 84.7% save proportion, eight shutouts.
Evaluation: Name UCLA the ACC killer.
The Bruins have defeated three ACC groups this season. They dropped Duke (2-1) and North Carolina (2-1) on the street in back-to-back matches to begin September. To advance to the Faculty Cup, UCLA beat Virginia, 2-1, in time beyond regulation.
Earlier than this season, Margueritte Aozasa had by no means been a Division I head coach. The Bruins employed her after she helped coach Stanford to a pair of NCAA Championships in her seven seasons as one in every of its assistants.
She has shortly established herself effectively as a head coach.
“Whole credit score to that workers as a first-year group collectively,” Pensky stated. “They’ve completed an exceptional job from begin to end as a gaggle. They’ve some very gifted particular person gamers.”
Up Subsequent
Who: FSU (17-2-3) vs. North Carolina (19-4-1)
When/The place: Friday, 6 p.m.; Cary, N.C.
TV: ESPNU.
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