It’s not often teams face each other three teams in one season, much less in the College Cup. Yet here we are with the Seminoles and Tar Heels meeting again and a place in the national championship game on the line. Fans of each team (and women’s soccer in general) will remember the 2018 trilogy between these teams that ended in the title game, where Florida State prevailed.
This year, the showdown is taking place in the semifinals, with North Carolina on their… heels… in the series, especially when playing at WakeMed Soccer Park. The Seminoles have won three straight meetings in Cary and five of nine overall, including the ACC tournament championship game on Nov. 6.
The defending champions will look to replicate their success by activating the creativity through the middle in Mac Hermann Trophy semifinalist Jenna Nighswonger, who leads the team with 16 assists, and the finishing of Onyi Echegini and Jody Brown in the forward line. Between Nighswonger, Leilanni Nesbeth and Clara Robbins, the ‘Noles have nearly over 250 matches of experience in midfield. Robbins is the program’s all-time leader in appearances with 109 coming into this weekend. With Cristina Roque in goal, the Seminoles have been nearly unbeatable with a record of 39-1-9 with her between the sticks. That one loss? 2-1 at the hands of the Tar Heels on Oct. 20.
The Tar Heels, meanwhile, are looking to return to the national final for the first time since 2019. There are no remaining players from the 2018 title game loss to FSU, but there are six players on the roster from the 2019 runner-up campaign, including assist leader Isabel Cox and minutes leader Tori Hansen. The attacking duo of Avery Patterson and Ally Sentnor have 21 goals between them this season and each has scored against the Seminoles already this season. Patterson’s five assists in the tournament are the most of any player, while Sentnor’s five goals in the tournament are the most of any player remaining.
Something to watch for: the Tar Heels have deployed a 3-5-2 formation in the NCAA tournament, moving away from the 4-3-3 they used for the majority of the season. It’s a small sample size, but clearly, it has worked for them so far. It’ll be interesting to see if coach Anson Dorrance returns to the four-back look or sticks with the fresh three-back system against the Seminoles.
Speaking of Dorrance, a win on Friday would give him the chance to win his 22nd national championship and the first in a decade. By contrast, FSU coach Brian Pensky is looking to win his first national championship in his first season at the helm of the program and back-to-back titles for Florida State.