No. 4 UNC women's soccer falls, 4-2, to No. 17 Florida State in second conference loss

The No. 4 UNC women’s soccer team (14-3, 7-2 ACC) fell to No. 17 Florida State (11-2-2, 6-2-1 ACC), 4-2, on Friday night at Seminole Soccer Complex in Tallahassee, Fla.  

Florida State came out strong forcing a corner kick less than a minute into the game. The Seminoles fired off four shots within the first eight minutes of the game with the fourth one forcing UNC’s graduate goalkeeper Claire Gagne to make a bottom left corner save. 

UNC responded with some pressure of its own when sophomore forward Olivia Thomas’ shot was deflected wide right of the net, forcing a Tar Heel corner kick. North Carolina's corner resulted in yet another corner, however, the team was unable to capitalize on either attempt. 

Nineteen minutes into the game, Florida State sophomore forward Jordynn Dudley slid on the ground in front of the net to get her foot on a ball sent in by junior defender Sophia Nguyen. UNC attempted to clear the ball from the goal line, but after official video review, the play was ruled a goal for FSU.

Just three minutes later, FSU’s first-year forward Solai Washington found herself with the ball in front of the net after a UNC mistake. With Gagne further up in the box, Washington made a move around her and netted the ball to put the Seminoles up by two.

But the Tar Heels didn’t slow down.

UNC’s junior midfielder Kate Faasse earned the team a corner taken by senior forward Bella Sember. Although FSU’s redshirt first-year goalkeeper Addie Todd got her hands on the ball to punch it out, the ball fell onto UNC graduate midfielder Aria Nagai's feet in the left corner.

Nagai was able to get a one touch volley on the ball to score and put the Tar Heels within one for a 2-1 score. 

Two minutes later the Tar Heels did it again. Off of a corner kick, the ball found Nagai again in the box on the left side of the net, forcing a goal off of a FSU deflection for the equalizer. 

The two teams went into the half even 2-2.

Florida State came out strong once again. Under two minutes into the second half, FSU first-year midfielder Lara Dantas blasted the ball from just outside the box on net. Gagne was able to get her hand on the ball and punched it into the crossbar to notch her fifth save of the night. 

FSU kept battling. After a pass from Dudley across the pitch, Washington was able to work the ball to her left to beat the UNC defender and put the ball behind Gagne to give FSU the lead once again.  

UNC nearly leveled the score in the 61st minute with a shot from first-year midfielder Linda Ullmark from way outside of the box that nailed the crossbar. Two minutes later, Ullmark was denied once again by the crossbar on a shot again outside the box. 

FSU put the game away in the 66th minute after a header by first-year forward Wrianna Hudson found Dudley at the top of the key, who placed the ball bottom left corner to put FSU up 4-2.  

North Carolina will return to Dorrance Field on Thursday at at 7 p.m. to take on rival No. 1 Duke in its final regular season match of the season. 

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