Florida State Soccer: Seminoles score five goals in home opener, beat USF 5-1

Following a two-week break, Florida State women’s soccer returned to the pitch for its home opener against South Florida (USF).

The Seminole’s last game against No. 9 Texas Christian (TCU) took place on Aug. 20, but FSU shook off any rust quickly, beating the visiting Bulls 5-1, moving to 3-0-0 on the season.

Freshman Jordynn Dudley scored her first two collegiate goals for the Seminoles, while Onyi Echegini, Olivia Garcia and Leah Pais all got on the scoresheet for an FSU team that outshot USF 26-2.

“It’s nice to see so many goals today,” FSU women’s soccer head coach Brian Pensky said. “I hope it’s something that continues, we feel like we certainly have the offensive firepower to continue to score a lot of goals.”

Doing it all in the midfield

Florida State women’s soccer opened the 2023 season with a 2-1 victory over Texas A&M.

One of the key parts of Pensky’s 4-3-3 system is the play of his midfield trio, as they are able to help break down the opposing defenses and create goal-scoring opportunities for the Seminoles. Against USF, Taylor Huff, Echegini and the returning Leilanni Nesbeth all made an impact for FSU.

All three midfielders found themselves in dangerous positions for FSU against USF, with the trio all nearly getting on the scoresheet. Pensky feels the ability for his midfielders to do it all gives the Seminoles attack an added threat.

“They can do a lot of different things,” Pensky said. “They can be high and go in behind back lines, or they can also drift into the wide area and get around players.”

Both Huff and Echegini spent time playing almost as wide forwards for FSU in attack, but they were also quick to get the ball back alongside Nesbeth when the Seminoles lost possession. Getting the ball back quickly was something Pensky stressed to the midfield leading up to the game.

“We talked about that a lot going into the game, that if we lost the ball, how quickly can we win it right back,” Pensky said. “That was a point of emphasis because they [USF] can be a good possession team, and we didn’t want them to get into their shape when they won the ball back from us.”

Free-scoring attack

Florida State women’s soccer vs. TCU.

Through three games this season FSU has scored nine goals, with six different players getting their names on the scoresheet so far. The ability to find a goal from anyone on the pitch is something that Pensky feels can elevate an already potent Seminoles attack.

“We have a lot of good players and a lot of good attacking players,” Pensky said. “Those numbers are only going to grow because we’ve got more kids that can score goals.”

Scoring one goal in the first half, the Seminole’s offense exploded in the second half against USF, scoring four goals in thirty minutes. Pensky noted this was the first game this season that all of his forwards were available to play, which gave his forward line a chance to shine against USF.

One of the players who stood out for the Seminole’s attack was Dudley. The freshman scored the game’s first two goals, and she feels like the communication between the forwards off the field is helping build confidence on the field and helping FSU get the ball in the back of the net.

“I think it’s really a big communication thing,” Dudley said. “The older girls are really good with bringing in some of us newer people, and once we just talk it out, then on the field it just clicks.”

Dudley makes an instant impact

Dudley marked her Seminole home debut with two goals and a performance that got her a standing ovation from the crowd at Seminole Soccer Complex when she was subbed off. Dudley is the first freshman since Jody Brown in 2020 to score multiple goals in a game for FSU.

Scoring her first two goals of her collegiate career at home was a special moment for the Freshman.

“It just meant a lot, because it’s my first home game,” Dudely said about the standing ovation. “It was nice to be with the team and feels good.”

Dudley started at left wing for the Seminoles and opened the scoring with a solo goal in the first half, picking the ball up in the midfield and driving over 60 yards to score. Her second goal came off a shot from distance, and Pensky feels like the freshman has a bright future ahead of her at FSU.

“We think moving forward, in the future years, she’ll probably be more of a central player for us,” Pensky said. “We know, this is a fact in Sharpie, she’s going to score a lot of goals.”

Liam Rooney covers preps sports for the Tallahassee Democrat. Contact him via email at LRooney@gannett.com or on Twitter @__liamrooney

This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Florida State soccer offense explodes for 5 goals in win over South Florida