No. 4 FSU soccer starts season with dominant win over Stetson

The No. 4 Florida State Seminoles started off their title defense in dominant fashion, kicking off their season with a 4-0 victory over unranked Stetson.

Despite creating multiple opportunities in the first half, FSU entered halftime scoreless as Stetson’s defense held off the Seminoles’ attack. Florida State controlled much of the opening half, recording six shots on goal while holding Stetson to just one. Wrianna Hudson led the early attack with three shots on goal. 

The Seminoles nearly broke through when Nyah Rose fired a shot that Stetson goalkeeper Boesel stopped. Adam Erbach followed with another attempt, but Boesel came up with a second save to keep FSU off the board. 

Toward the end of the first half, FSU kept the ball around Stetson’s goal, but back-to-back fouls halted the Seminoles’ momentum. Both teams entered halftime with four fouls. 

FSU wasted little time changing the tone in the second half. Sam Erbach broke the scoreless tie at 57:56, finishing an opportunity set up by Olivia Page to give the Seminoles a 1-0 lead. 

Tanner Strickland doubled the Seminoles’ lead, scoring a penalty kick for her first goal of the season. Just a few minutes later, at 67:33, Joelle Jung scored FSU’s third goal off assists from Ashley Henderson and Tanner Strickland. Shortly after entering the game as a substitute, Peyton McGovern added the Seminoles’ fourth goal to extend the lead to 4-0. 

After being held scoreless through the opening half, Florida State’s persistence paid off with four second-half goals. The Seminoles utilized the entire field and relied on a strong passing attack to create opportunities while limiting Stetson’s chances on the other end, ultimately securing the 4-0 victory while outshooting Stetson 13-2 in shots on goal.