TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – One of the most consistent soccer programs in recent history, No. 2 Florida State (18-2-4) defeated No. 21 Texas A&M (17-7-2) by a score of 5-0 to reach the 2015 NCAA Women’s College Cup on Friday afternoon. The Seminoles are among the final four teams competing for a national championship for the fifth season in a row and the ninth time in school history.
Florida State scored twice in the first half and added three second-half goals in the shutout of the Aggies. The clean sheet for the Seminoles extended their scoreless streak to an NCAA-record 900 minutes, as FSU has not allowed a goal in its last 10 NCAA postseason games. The Noles surpassed North Carolina’s streak from 2003-04 of 829:31 minutes without surrendering a goal in NCAA tournament.
Overall, 10 Florida State players recorded a goal or an assist on the afternoon, led by two goals from Elin Jensen and three assists from Kaycie Tillman. Tillman is the ninth Seminole to register three assists in a game and the first one to accomplish the feat twice in her career. The freshman from Rowlett, Texas also posted three assists in FSU’s 6-0 win over Pitt on October 3.
“It’s clear to me that our group has a very good focus and high level of concentration,” said FSU head coach Mark Krikorian. “We have an awful lot of talented players that have bought in to whatever game plan it is we come up with. I thought our group was very good, very sharp in defending the attack. Certainly, Texas A&M is an outstanding program and for us to be able to go out and win a game like we did today against such a good program is great for us”
Florida State dominated possession from the beginning, using space to create chances and an aggressive defense to limit Texas A&M. Carson Pickett nearly got the Noles on the board in the 15th minute as Megan Connolly poked a pass to Pickett outside the penalty box and the senior defender blasted a shot that beat the TAMU goalkeeper but bounced off the right post.
The Noles continued the pressure and broke into the scoring column in the 19th minute on a great goal from Connolly. Natalia Kuikka started the play with a run down the left side. The freshman midfielder passed ahead to Cheyna Williams, who deftly tapped the ball back to a waiting Connolly who struck it into the net for a 1-0 lead.
Michaela Hahn made it 2-0 at 34:59 on her fifth goal of the season. Emma Koivisto took the ball out left and centered the ball to Tillman, who found Hahn at the top of the box. Hahn one-timed a low shot that found the back of the net and extended the FSU lead.
Florida State came out of halftime with the same level of determination and aggression and didn’t waste much time putting another goal on the board as Cheyna Williams posted her 10th goal of the season in the 52nd minute. Tillman sent a ball through the box for Isabella Schmid, who made a diving pass into Williams at the top of the six-yard box. The senior forward turned on her defender and tapped the ball into the open net.
The Icelandic duo of Berglind Thorvaldsdottir and Jensen were responsible for FSU’s fourth goal at 68:50. Connolly started the sequence with a low shot onto TAMU keeper Rice, but she could not hold onto the ball, allowing Thorvaldsdottir to attack the rebound. The redshirt junior fought for possession and tapped it out to Jensen to strike home for her sixth goal of the season.
Jensen was also on the end of the final scoring chance for Florida State at 74:38, following a corner kick from Connolly. The freshman’s service into the box found Megan Campbell, whose header went out to the right for Tillman. The freshman midfielder found her classmate in the middle of the box and Jensen drove it into the net to make it 5-0 Florida State. It was the second two-goal game of Jensen’s career, matching the scoring output from September 17 at UNC Greensboro.
For the game, Florida State held a 21-3 advantage in shots and led 8-0 in shots on goal. The combined shutout for Cassie Miller and Caroline Brockmeier was the 15th of the season for the Seminoles.
Courtesy: FSU Athletics
