No. 1 Florida State Seminoles soccer survived a slow-choke defensive struggle vs. Duke last week to advance to the College Cup semifinals, now just one game away from competition for another national title.
The Seminoles will, once again, face off against a familiar opponent after games (and wins) vs. NCAA Tournament nemesis Penn State and ACC foe Duke. They’ll be facing off against No. 13 Virginia, the only unseeded team to make the semifinals.
How to watch Florida State vs. Virginia in College Cup
- When: 6 p.m. Thursday, May 13
- TV: ESPN2 (Channel 209 on DirecTV, Channel 143 on Dish)
- Online: Watch ESPN (TV subscription needed) and the ESPN app, YouTube TV (2-week free trial), Hulu + Live TV (7-day free trial), Sling TV ($10 off the first month), fuboTV (7-day free trial)
Will there be fans?
The NCAA is allowing up to 50% capacity for fall outdoor championships being held this spring. That would be 5,000 at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary.
Preview
- FSU has reached the NCAA Women’s College Cup for the 11th time in school history and the Seminoles have been among the final four teams to play for a national championship 10 times in the 16 seasons under head coach Mark Krikorian. The 11 semifinal appearances is tied with UCLA and Santa Clara for third-most in NCAA history, trailing North Carolina (29) and Notre Dame (12).
- Virginia is led on the attack up top by forwards Rebecca Jarrett, Diana Ordoñez and Alexa Spaanstra — Diana Ordoñez holds a team-leading 29 points with 12 goals and five assists this season, while Spaanstra has added 10 goals and a pair of assists this season for 22 points on the year. ACC Freshman of the Year Lia Godfrey is third on the team with 17 off a team-leading nine assists and four goals.
- Thursday’s match will be the 35th time that the Seminoles have played at WakeMed, including the 2003, 2006, 2013, 2015 and 2018 College Cups. Overall, FSU has a record of 18-11-6 in Cary, N.C. Florida State is 2-4 in NCAA Semifinal matches at WakeMed Soccer Park.
- Freshmen goalkeeper Cristina Roque has had an incredible freshman season in goal. She has held FSU’s opponents to just seven goals in 14 games this season and she has saved 75 percent of shots that have come her way. Roque shined in the brightest of moments in the NCAA Quarterfinal, saving the first Duke attempt in PKs, leading the Seminoles to their 11th College Cup.
- Virginia and Florida State meet for the second time this season after FSU won the regular-season meeting 4-3
- It is the third meeting in an NCAA Tournament match with FSU holding a 2-0-0 record in those contests
- FSU won the first meeting in 2011 at home in the quarterfinals and won the 2014 championship game matchup
- Virginia leads the all-time series with the Seminoles 21-9-6
- Florida State did not get its first win over Virginia until the 2011 ACC Tournament when the Noles secured a 2-1 victory in the semifinals on their way to FSU’s first ACC Championship. Since that victory, Florida State is 9-5-2 against Virginia, including earning the 2014 ACC Championship and National Championship and the 2015 ACC Championship 7-6 in penalty kicks after ending the game with a 2-2 draw.
It’s been 10 years since the NCAA has seen a perfect season in women’s soccer, but No. 1 Florida State is two wins away from joining the ranks of undefeated champions.
