A second-half outburst by #8 Florida State led the Seminoles to a 5-0 victory over the FGCU women’s soccer team, Thursday night. The Eagles fall to 2-4-0 on the season while the defending national champions improve to 3-0-2.
“Despite the result, I thought we played well, especially in the first half,” said head coach Jim Blankenship. “They are one of the best teams in the country and once they got on the board, it kind of got away from us, but there are definitely things we can use from this game to help us in the future.”
The Eagles played one of their best halves of the season in the first 45 minutes as the game remained scoreless at the half. The Seminoles took 11 shots in the stanza, but only three reached the waiting hands of graduate student Katie Sullivan (Wheaton, Ill./Wheaton North HS/Creighton) who was able to limit second-chance opportunities.
On the back line, junior Leah Scarpelli (Brick, N.J./Brick Memorial HS/Penn State) was busy, blocking three shots from reaching their target. Graduate student Margaret Berry (Holly, Mich./Fenton HS/Boston University) also had a key defensive play to keep FSU off the board.
The Eagles had their best chance of the game in the 24th minute when sophomore Ashley Labbe (Lake Worth, Fla./Suncoast HS) took a shot from close range. After FSU keeper Cristina Roque got her hand on the ball, it hit solid off the crossbar as the Eagles were just inches away from taking the lead.
In the second half, the Noles came out attacking and took the lead in the 48th minute and from there, the tide changed as Florida State added goals in the 56th, 59th, 82nd, and 90th minutes, including a few that were world-class, to turn the contest from a fight into a comfortable FSU win.
Overall, Florida State outshot the Eagles, 28-6, with Sullivan making a season-high seven saves. The Seminoles also had an 8-4 edge in corner kicks.
The Eagles will return to action on Sunday when they come back to Fort Myers to take on FIU. Kickoff against the Panthers is set for 1 p.m.
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