Florida State captures 5th straight ACC title with 3-2 comeback win over North Carolina
CARY, N.C. – The No. 6 Florida State soccer team claimed its 11th ACC Tournament Championship with a thrilling 3-2 comeback victory over No. 8 North Carolina on Sunday afternoon. The Seminoles earned their fifth consecutive ACC Tournament championship, winning 10 of the last 12 conference titles.
North Carolina began with the early pressure as the Heels drove towards the box and fired a dangerous shot across the face of goal. Addie Todd was forced into an instant left palm save to deflect the shot just wide of the frame. UNC opened the scoring with a penalty kick conversion.
Florida State responded within minutes as the Seminole corner kick was cleared out and fell into Taylor Suarez’s path. The Charlotte, North Carolina, native lined her shot up and unleashed a bullet into the bottom left corner to equalize. The freshman scored her third goal of the season and her second goal since returning from the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup.
UNC was able to snatch the lead just before halftime off a high-flying header to give the Heels the advantage. FSU had conceded two goals to North Carolina for the second straight meeting this season and had not trailed in the conference title match since 2009.
Just after passing the 60-minute mark, Ashlyn Puerta came in as a substitute and just seconds into her outing, she was fouled inside the box and granted Florida State a penalty. Senior captain Taylor Huff stepped up to the spot and slotted her effort far into the side netting for a near-perfect penalty to level the game. Huff scored her 12th goal of the campaign.
Florida State stole the momentum and began to control the run of play. Huff whipped in a dangerous cross that the UNC defense failed to clear. Jordynn Dudley was able to feed the ball while being challenged to freshman Wrianna Hudson who made an unforgettable left footed half-volley past the keeper to snatch the lead back. Hudson scored her eighth goal of the season and eclipsed the 20-point mark.
Despite North Carolina’s best efforts, FSU continued to see the game out and made more dangerous chances before the final whistle was blown.
FSU has won 11 straight games in the ACC championship match and has defeated North Carolina on five separate occasions during that stretch. The Seminoles have also won 12 straight games at the ACC Tournament.
Head coach Brian Pensky becomes just the third coach in the history of the competition to claim three straight titles, the former being former head coach Mark Krikorian.
Ran Iwai concludes her fifth and final campaign with her fifth conference title, joining Clara Robbins as the lone two Seminoles to achieve the feat.
Five Seminoles were named to the 2024 ACC All-Tournament Team. Huff was named the ACC Tournament MVP and became the fourth Seminole in the last five seasons to earn the honor. She was joined on the All-Tournament team by Todd, Solai Washington, Dudley, and Heather Gilchrist.
The 2024 NCAA Women’s Soccer Tournament selection show is slated for Monday, November 11, at 4 p.m. on NCAA.com.
