No. 1 Florida State ties No. 12 South Carolina in women's soccer season opener
No. 1 Florida State and No. 12 South Carolina open season with 0-0 tie
Florida State could not break through at South Carolina despite a flurry of offensive opportunities in the second half, battling to a scoreless draw in the season opener. FSU remains unbeaten in 15-straight season openers, holding a 21-5-2 record all-time on opening day.
The Seminoles outshot the Gamecocks 18-7 on the night, including 10-5 in the second half. FSU created 7 corner kick opportunities to South Carolina's three, including a last-ditch effort in the closing seconds where the Gamecock defense held strong.
Seminole junior goalkeeper Cristina Roque made three saves, and senior forward Jenna Nighswonger led the way with a game-high eight shots (three on goal). Graduate midfielder Clara Robbins had four shots (two on goal) for FSU. In total, eight Seminoles recorded at least a shot.
South Carolina senior keeper Heather Hinz made six saves. Senior forward Riane Coman had two shots (one on goal). Six Gamecocks players registered a shot.
Florida State nearly broke the stalemate at 33' when Hinz made a diving save on Clara Nguyen's bicycle kick inside the box, and Nighswonger came inches from getting the Seminoles on the board at 59' when her shot hit the crossbar.
FSU travels to Georgia to take on the Bulldogs on Sunday at 1 p.m., while South Carolina will host East Carolina at 2 p.m. on Sunday.
Florida State and South Carolina tie 0-0
FSU hits crossbar early in second half
Florida State senior forward Jenna Nighswonger had the best chance of the game so far with a shot off the crossbar at 59', amid an offensive surge for the Seminoles. Nighswonger has five shots on the night.
FSU and South Carolina have been busy to start the second half with five shots and four, respectively, just 17 minutes in.
No score between FSU and South Carolina at half
After the first half, No. 1 Florida State and No. 12 South Carolina are scoreless.
FSU goalkeeper Cristina Roque made one save, while South Carolina's Heather Hinz made three, including a diving stop on a bicycle kick from Sophia Nguyen at 33'.
Each team had one corner kick, while the Seminoles had eight shots (three on goal) to the Gamecocks' two (one on goal).
Game is underway at Stone Stadium
No. 1 Florida State and No. 12 South Carolina are officially underway in Columbia, S.C.
Here is our starting XI for game 1⃣!
— FSU Soccer (@FSUSoccer) August 18, 2022
📺: SEC Network (https://t.co/lBkHuqFiMc)
📊: https://t.co/mPDszAqaWm pic.twitter.com/91FSIbi51g
Florida State and South Carolina kick off in 20 minutes
Kickoff between Florida State and South Carolina is set for 7 p.m. at Stone Stadium in Columbia, South Carolina. You can watch along on SEC Network.
Temperature at game time is set to be 80 degrees with mostly cloudy skies before falling into the high 70s as the game progresses. There is a 15 percent chance of rain in tonight's forecast.
Looking at the preseason rankings
The Seminoles enter the season ranked No. 1 after defeating BYU in penalties in last season's national championship. Meanwhile, the Gamecocks come in at No. 12 after falling to BYU in the national quarterfinals last year.
The last and only time South Carolina beat a top-ranked team was Sept. 1, 2007, which saw the Gamecocks win, 1-0, against North Carolina. Their all-time record against No. 1 teams is 1-3-0, most recently falling to Stanford, 2-0, in the College Cup on Dec. 1, 2017.
Here's a look at the United Soccer Coaches preseason Top 15. FSU and South Carolina are in bold.
|
RANK |
SCHOOL |
TOTAL POINTS |
2021 RECORD |
PREVIOUS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Florida State (5) | 192 | 22-1-2 | 1 |
| 2 | Duke (2) | 181 | 15-4-1 | 5 |
| 3 | BYU | 178 | 16-5-2 | 2 |
| 4 | Virginia (1) | 160 | 18-3-2 | 8 |
| 5 | Santa Clara | 154 | 15-5-3 | 4 |
| 6 | Rutgers | 151 | 18-4-2 | 3 |
| 7 | TCU | 142 | 19-2-3 | 9 |
| 8 | Arkansas | 137 | 19-4-1 | 6 |
| 9 | Michigan | 132 | 18-4-3 | 7 |
| 10 | North Carolina | 128 | 12-3-3 | 14 |
| 11 | Tennessee | 124 | 20-3-0 | 11 |
| 12 | South Carolina | 115 | 14-7-1 | 10 |
| 13 | UCLA | 112 | 16-1-3 | 15 |
| 14 | Penn State | 102 | 12-8-1 | 23 |
| 15 | Southern California | 89 | 14-3-3 | 12 |
Click or tap here for the full Top 25.
2022 MAC Hermann Trophy Watch List announced Thursday
The United Soccer Coaches named Florida State junior forward Beata Olsson and South Carolina fifth-year defender and captain Jyllissa Harris were each named to the 2022 MAC Hermann Trophy Watch List.
The women's college soccer season starts tonight
Women's college soccer is back. Thursday marks the first day of the new season — and there are some big matches right away. No. 1 Florida State visits No. 12 South Carolina to help start the season.
We'll be tracking the action between the defending national champion Seminoles and the Gamecocks. Here's how you can watch and follow along.
- When: 7 p.m. ET on Thursday, Aug. 18
- Where: Stone Stadium, Columbia, S.C.
- Watch live: SEC Network
- Live stats: NCAA / South Carolina
- Previews: South Carolina / FSU
- Rosters: South Carolina / FSU
How Florida State and South Carolina match up historically
This is only the third time the Seminoles and Gamecocks have met with Florida State holding a 1-0-1 record. It will be South Carolina's first chance to host the Seminoles.
The last meeting between the two saw Florida State cruise to a 5-0 victory at home during the 2014 Elite 8. The Gamecocks and Seminoles battled to a 3-3 tie on Sept. 14, 2008, in Auburn, Ala., the first time they squared off.
𝘼 𝙣𝙚𝙬 𝙨𝙚𝙖𝙨𝙤𝙣 𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙧𝙩𝙨 𝙩𝙤𝙙𝙖𝙮! #OneTribe
— FSU Soccer (@FSUSoccer) August 18, 2022
📍: Columbia, S.C.
⏰: 7:00 PM
📊: https://t.co/mPDszAqaWm
📺: SEC Network pic.twitter.com/jBtAtdnJge
Comparing Florida State and South Carolina
Here's a statistical breakdown of Florida State and South Carolina, using last season's statistics ahead of Thursday's season opener.
| FLORIDA STATE | 2021-22 STAT | South Carolina |
|---|---|---|
| 22-1-2 | Record | 15-7-1 |
| Champion | NCAA tournament | Quarterfinals |
| 66 | Goals scored | 37 |
| 2.64 | Goals per game | 1.61 |
| 13 | Goals allowed | 24 |
| 0.52 | Goals allowed per game | 1.04 |
| Beata Olsson, 29 points (14 goals, 1 assists) |
Top scorer | Catherine Barry, 19 points (8 goals, 3 assists) |
| Cristina Roque 31 saves, 0.56 GA average |
Goalkeeper | Heather Hintz 67 saves, 1.04 GA average |