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FSU soccer set to battle Clemson for ACC title

Bob Ferrante

Ultimate Seminole Insider
Staff
May 10, 2022
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The No. 1 and undefeated Florida State women's soccer team (15-0-1) will be looking for their fourth consecutive ACC Championship on Sunday afternoon as they take on No. 7 Clemson (15-2-3). The two teams met back on Sept. 15 as FSU scored four unanswered goals after falling behind 2-0 to take down the Tigers in Clemson, S.C. Kickoff at WakeMed Park in Cary, N.C., is set for noon (ESPNU).

ACC Tournament History
  • 9 ACC Tournament Championships
  • 12-8-4 in the first round
  • 12-4-3 in the semifinals
  • 6-5-3 in the finals (All three ties resulted in FSU winning in PKs)
  • 30-17-10 all-time in the ACC Tournament
  • 19-8-6 when the ACC Tournament has been played in Cary, N.C.

ACC Dominance
No one has been more dominant in the ACC than the Florida State Seminoles in the last 11 seasons. FSU has won eight out of the past 10 ACC Tournament Championships to go along with four ACC Regular Season Championships in that period. FSU will be looking for their fourth consecutive ACC Tournament Championship. This would be the second time in school history that FSU has won four straight ACC Championships as they accomplished the feat from 2013-16.

Last Time Out
FSU took care of business in the ACC Semifinal with a 2-0 win over No. 11 Pitt. FSU got a goal from Jordynn Dudley in the 70th minute to break the 0-0 tie before Beata Olsson converted on a beautiful corner kick from Taylor Huff to give the Noles a commanding 2-0 lead. FSU recorded their ninth shutout of the season and were just the second team to shutout Pitt all season.

Success in the Title Game
In recent history, if FSU makes the ACC Championship game, they will bring a trophy back to Tallahassee. FSU has come away with the title the last nine times they have been in the ACC Championship game after going 0-for-5 in their first five appearances.

A Historic Run
Florida State has been a perennial power for most of this century, but FSU was able to accomplish something they never have in school history this regular season. FSU completed its first ever undefeated regular season in school history with a 14-0-1 record. FSU did complete the 2020 regular season with an 8-0 record with a conference-only schedule.

Hello No. 1
For the 45th week in school history, the Florida State soccer team is ranked No. 1 following the new United Soccer Coaches Poll on Tuesday. FSU is 51-9-5 all-time when ranked No. 1 and is 25-1-2 when they have been ranked No. 1 since the start of the 2021 season. FSU has never lost at home when they are ranked No. 1 posting a perfect 30-0-0 record.

Getting Hot
FSU forward Onyi Echegini has been very impressive all season but has taken her game to another level in the past three games. In the last five games, Echegini has scored five goals and has emerged as the ACC's leading goal scorer while playing in three fewer games than the rest of the teams in the ACC. Echegini has scored 10+ goals in back-to-back seasons and is the first Nole to accomplish that feat since Deyna Castellanos in 2018-19. Echegini was named the ACC Offensive Player of the Year.

A Star in the Making
Freshman forward Jordynn Dudley has put together one of the best freshman seasons in the country. Dudley has scored 10 goals while adding six assists. Dudley had back-to-back two-goal matches against No. 1 North Carolina and Miami. Dudley is the only freshman to have three multi-goal games this season. Dudley is tied for fourth among freshmen for total goals scored this season and is tied for fourth in the ACC in total goals but is second in the ACC in goals per game behind teammate Onyi Echegini. Her 10 goals is also tied for fourth in school history among freshmen.

Dynamic Duo
The Seminoles have one of the top scoring duos not only in the ACC but also in the country with Jordynn Dudley and Onyi Echegini. Echegini (11) and Dudley (10) have combined to score 21 goals for the Seminoles this season. Echegini and Dudley are the top two scorers in the ACC. This is the first time since 2014 that FSU has had two double-digit scorers in a season.

Historic Offensive Numbers
FSU put together one of the best offensive seasons in ACC history. During ACC play, FSU scored 36 goals this season in ACC play which is a new school record and is the second-most goals in ACC history behind North Carolina's 37 ACC goals in 2007. FSU is also on pace to break the school record for assists per game, points per game and goals per game in a single season. FSU currently has the second-best offense in the country with 3.25 goals per game. The Seminoles also lead the country in assists per game and are second in the country in points per game. .

Spreading the Wealth
Florida State is the best team in the country in terms of spreading the ball around. 13 players have scored for the Seminoles this season which is a top 10 mark in school history. FSU is ranked first in the country with 3.69 assists per game. Taylor Huff leads the team with 12 assists which ranks fourth in the country. Huff's 12 assists is the fifth-most in a single season by a Seminole.

Suffocating Defense
FSU has once again been one of the top defensive teams in the country. FSU has shutout its last three opponents and have given up just three goals in their last eight games. Against Miami, the Seminoles did not allow a single shot. This was the first time the Seminoles have held an opponent to 0 shots since Sept. 8, 2019, against Samford. It was the eighth time the Seminoles have held an opponent to 0 shots and just the third time and first time since 2014 that FSU has held an ACC opponent to 0 shots.

Strong PK Showing
Overall, Florida State has a combined record of 12-4 all-time in postseason penalty kicks - including a record of 10-2 since 2005 - and earned the 2011, 2015 and 2016 ACC Championship and the 2021 National Championship by way of PKs.

Comeback Kids
FSU has trailed just three times this season and has made comebacks in each match to either win or tie the match. FSU has trailed twice at the half this season against Syracuse and No. 18 Pitt and came back to win 3-2 in both matches. FSU also fell behind against No. 1 UNC in the final minutes but got a last-second goal from Mimi Van Zanten to earn the draw.

Finishing Strong
The Seminoles have dominated teams in the final 25 minutes of the match. In the last 25 minutes of their games this season, FSU is outscoring opponents 22-4 with two of those goals being surrendered against No. 1 North Carolina.

Dominating the Second Half
The Seminoles have been unstoppable in the final 45 minutes of their first six matches. In the second half this season, FSU is outscoring their opponents 39-4 compared to just a 12-8 advantage in the first half. Under Head Coach Brian Pensky, the Seminoles have outscored their opponents 80-14 in the second half.
 
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