FSU women's soccer is undefeated as end of 2023 season approaches. Here's what to know (2024)

It's not much of a surprise that the Florida State women's soccer team is No. 1 in the country. After all, the Seminoles still field key players who were part of the 2021 national champion team.

But the 2023 FSU squad has an extra feather in its cap: It has yet to lose a match with just over a week left in the regular season.

FSU (12-0-1, 7-0-1 in ACC) extended its undefeated start Thursday night when it beat No. 18 Pittsburgh 3-2 at the Seminole Soccer Complex.

FSU coach Brian Pensky has one of the top soccer teams in the country with an attack led by seniors Ony Echegini and Jody Brown and dynamic freshman Jordynn Dudley. And standing in goal is All-American Cristina Roque.

But the Seminoles' success so far hasn't gotten to their head.

"We haven't talked to the players about the No. 1 ranking for one ounce. It's irrelevant," Pensky said after FSU's 4-1 win Oct. 12 over No. 12 Notre Dame. "Somebody asked me earlier if there's pressure now that we're number one. These players, they play at Florida State and they see that wall [IPF north side wall] every day."

With the ACC tournament around the corner and the College Cup looming in December, let's take a look at FSU's stellar season and the players who make the machine hum.

Is FSU women's soccer good?

They sure are!

The Seminoles have been a regular feature at the College Cup, making it as far as the national semifinals each of the past three seasons and nine of the past 12. They last won the national championship in 2021, a year after falling in the title game.

This year's Seminoles are good, as well, winning all but one of their matches (and that one was a 3-3 draw with perennial power North Carolina, currently No. 3 in the country). Through the games Oct. 19, FSU has the No. 5 offense in the country, averaging 3.15 goals per game. They're taking about 17.5 shots per game (20th in the nation) and putting just under nine on goal per game (16th).

FSU gives itself plenty of chances to score, averaging just under seven corner kicks per game (tied for 22nd) and have an NCAA-best 3.62 assists per game.

What is Florida State ranked in women's soccer?

After Thursday's home match against Pitt, FSU is 12-0-1, making the Seminoles one of the top teams in the country. They are No. 1 in the United Soccer Coaches poll with an overwhelming seven of eight first-place votes (No. 4 Penn State has the other). FSU is No. 4 in the RPI rankings behind Penn State, North Carolina and BYU.

What are Florida State soccer's best wins in 2023?

There are plenty to choose from since the Seminoles play in the ACC, always among the best soccer conferences in the NCAA. Their second game of the season was a 2-0 road win at then-No. 9 TCU in which Taylor Huff and Onyi Echegini scored about 2 minutes apart in the second half.

FSU got another huge road win when they beat No. 8 Clemson 4-2 after giving up two goals in the first 19 minutes. Their only draw of the season came in a 3-3 thriller at No. 3 North Carolina thanks to a last-second equalizer by Amelia Van Zanten.

The Seminoles beat in-state rivals Florida (1-0) and Miami (2-0). Their most recent win was a 4-1 throttling of No. 12 Notre Dame on Oct. 12.

Florida State beat No. 18 Pittsburgh 3-2 on Oct. 19 and heads to Duke on Oct. 22 before wrapping up the regular season at home against North Carolina State on Oct. 26. Then comes the ACC tournament and the NCAA tournament, culminating in the College Cup on Dec. 1 and 4 in Cary, North Carolina.

Who is FSU soccer's best scorer? Jordynn Dudley and Onyi Echegini

The Florida State attack is paced by a dynamic pairing. Senior midfielder Onyi Echegini and freshman striker Jordynn Dudley are tied for the team lead with nine goals apiece through 13 games.

Echegini played for Nigeria in the 2023 World Cup, and she made the All-ACC second team in 2022 after scoring 11 goals with eight assists in her first season since transferring from Mississippi State. The London native scored two goals in FSU's win Oct. 12 over Notre Dame.

But the big story this year has been Dudley, who has burst onto the scene straight from Cambridge High School in Milton, Georgia. She has three multi-goal games already, and she has five assists to Echegini's three this season.

Who is the FSU soccer goalie? Cristina Roque

Roque has been a star at goal since her freshman season in 2020. The following year, she saved two penalties to help the Seminoles win the national championship. In 2022, the senior from Winter Garden was the ACC Goalkeeper of the Year and was named a second-team All-American by College Soccer News and a third-team All-American by United Soccer Coaches.

No one else has seen a minute in goal for FSU this season, and with good reason: Roque has allowed just 12 goals in 13 games with six shutouts.

Jody Brown, Taylor Huff and Beata Olsson make FSU soccer tick

Taylor Huff leads FSU with eight assists through 13 games to go along with four goals. The junior from Mansfield, Ohio, was No. 3 on TopDrawer Soccer's Midseason Top 100. In her first game with the Seminoles after transferring from Tennessee, Huff scored the game-winning goal against Texas A&M on Aug. 17.

Jody Brown has four goals and three assists in 10 games this season, earning Best XI First Team honors from TopDrawer Soccer. The senior scored the game-winner against rival Florida on Sept. 10 and started all four matches for Jamaica in the 2023 World Cup.

Beata Olsson has started all 13 matches this season, contributing three goals and four assists. The senior striker from Sweden scored the Seminoles' season-opening goal against Texas A&M and netted the game-winner at No. 8 Clemson on Sept. 15.

Who is the head coach of Florida State women's soccer? Brian Pensky

Shortly after winning his third national championship with Florida State, Mark Krikorian announced he was leaving the program. In stepped Brian Pensky, who took over the job before the 2022 season, and nothing seems to have skipped a beat.

Pensky coached Maryland from 2005 to 2011, earning ACC and national coach of the year honors in 2010. From 2012 to 2021, he led Tennessee, where he was named SEC coach of the year in his final season before joining Florida State. Pensky led the Vols to their first-ever berth in the NCAA quarterfinals in 2018 and reached the Sweet 16 five times between UT and Maryland.

Florida State went 17-3-3 in its first year under Pensky, winning the ACC regular-season and tournament titles. Pensky reached the College Cup for the first time as head coach, though the Seminoles lost 3-2 to North Carolina.

How many national championships does FSU soccer have?

The Seminoles have won three national titles, all within the past 10 years. FSU won the 2014 championship 1-0 over Virginia on a strike from Jamia Fields. In 2018, Deyna Castellanos fed Dallas Dorosy for the only goal in a 1-0 national final win over North Carolina. And a year after losing the national title match in a shootout, Florida State beat BYU on penalties 4-3 after a goalless regular period.

How to watch FSU soccer vs. Duke

• When: 1 p.m. Sunday, October 22
• Where: Koskinen Stadium, Durham, North Carolina
• Streaming: ACCNX (available with cable subscription through WatchESPN and the ESPN app)

FSU soccer schedule 2023