No. 1 Florida State remains unbeaten after 2-2 draw against No. 7 UNC

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – Top-ranked Florida State (14-0-1) remained unbeaten for the 18^th straight ACC game with a 2-2 tie to No. 7 North Carolina (10-2-3) on Thursday.

The Seminoles 18-game ACC unbeaten streak ranks second in program history and their 12 game road unbeaten streak ranks tied for the second-best streak in school history.

The Garnet and Gold have also gone without a loss in the first 15 games of the season for the third time in program history and improved its road record to 45-15-9 since 2013. Florida State’s 15 game unbeaten streak to open the 2021 season is tied for the third-longest unbeaten streak in FSU soccer history.

It did not take the Seminoles long to get on the board as Beata Olsson scored her 10^th goal of the season just 58 seconds into the game. A long ball was sent into the middle of the field by Lauren Flynn after a foul by UNC. The ball was headed by Kristina Lynch and Olsson found the other end of the header. After gathering the ball, she fired a rocket from close to 30 yards out, giving the Noles a quick 1-0 lead. It was Olsson’s second goal this season that came less than a minute into the game. She scored just 29 seconds into the game against No. 10 Auburn earlier this season.

That was quick ?

?: @accnetwork pic.twitter.com/0psLKK7Eo4

— FSU Soccer (@FSUSoccer) October 22, 2021

North Carolina tied the game up in the 32^nd minute after a goal from Isabel Cox, assisted by Emily Murphy. It was just the third first-half goal of the season allowed by the Seminoles.

The Tar Heels scored once again in the 62^nd minute to take a 2-1 lead. Cox scored her second goal of the game off the bench. The goal was assisted by Emily Moxley and Same Meza. UNC’s 2-1 lead marked just the second time in ACC play and the third time this season that the Noles trailed in a game this season.

The Seminoles tied it back up in the 80^th minute after Olsson’s second goal of the game and 11^th of the season. Yujie Zhao passed the ball to Jenna Nighswonger in the middle of the field about 25 yards from the goal. Nighswonger dropped one into Olsson between several Carolina defenders as she made a run into the box. While running to her right, Olsson shot the ball across the face of the Carolina keeper and into the back of the net. It marks Olsson’s third multi-goal game this season.

Who else but Beata‼

?: @accnetwork pic.twitter.com/1TPIpurqRE

— FSU Soccer (@FSUSoccer) October 22, 2021

The game was tied at the end of regulation as the Garnet and Gold headed to overtime for the first time all season. After no shots were taken by either team in the first OT, FSU got off two in the second overtime both saved by the UNC keeper. With a minute left in the game, North Carolina got off their only shot of overtime and Cristina Roque secured the tie with her second save of the night.

Florida State stays on the road this week as they play at No. 6 Duke on Sunday, October 24 at 2 pm on the ACC Network.

Photo Credit: Larry Novey