Florida State Seminoles
Overall Rank #3
Conference Rank: #2 ACC
The Florida State Seminoles were arguably the most athletic, technically sound and consistent all-around team in all of Women’s College Soccer in 2012. The Seminoles once again made their way to the College Cup and lost a heartbreaking match against Penn State 2-1 in overtime. Six starters return in 2013 for veteran head coach Mark Krikorian and Florida State should be locked and loaded with quality all over the field to make another deep run in the 2013 NCAA Tournament and be in the national championship conversation.
2012 Record: 20-4-0, 8-2-0
2012 Postseason: NCAA
Coach: Mark Krikorian
Strengths:
The Seminoles will hit the ground running along their backline with the veteran leadership of goalie Kelsey Wys and defenders Kasey Kallman and Kristin Grubka anchoring the backline. The talented trio only allowed 15 goals last season and 17 shutouts in 24 matches. This mix of talent and experience will give the Seminoles a realistic chance of a national title, as goals are more of a premium in the postseason and elite defending will carry a team a long way in the NCAA Tournament. Offensively, Dagny Brynjarsdottir returns the most overall production for Florida State. Brynjarsdottir scored nine goals and had nine assists last season and was clutch with her scoring with five game winning goals. Sophomore Isabella Schmid was on the All-ACC Freshman Team in 2012. She had her first goal of her career in the third round of the NCAA Tournament against Texas A&M and has the skillset to increase her scoring and become a dynamic compliment to Brynjarsdottir this season.
Weaknesses:
Late in the season the Seminoles had a couple of matches where they had some defensive issues. Texas Tech came close to pulling the upset in the second round of the NCAA Tournament but Florida State escaped 3-2 to advance on to the Sweet 16. Virginia arguably did the best job of breaking down the Seminole defense in the ACC tournament semifinal when the Cavaliers put up four goals. Another question to be answered is who will step up and take the leadership role replacing Tiffany McCarty, who was the second overall pick by the Washington Spirit in the 2013 NWSL Draft.
Final Projection:
Florida State will play their usual challenging out of conference schedule facing NCAA Tournament caliber teams Auburn, Florida, and UCF. The trip to Gainesville will be a great test early on the road for the Seminoles to see where they stand against a Gator team that should threaten to make a deep run in the NCAA Tournament. The conference schedule has a good balance of challenges, both home and away, in 2013. The key home dates are September 18th against North Carolina, the reigning national champion, and on October 31st against Notre Dame. The opening road trip to Wake Forest and Duke will set the tone for the Seminoles in conference play, along with an always-challenging trip to Klockner Stadium to battle Virginia in the middle of October. Overall, with the balance of experience along the backline and Brynjarsdottir’s skill up front, the Seminoles should be able to score plenty of goals this season. The defense may have to lead a little bit more early on during the non-conference schedule until the offensive chemistry fully gels. However, it should be more of the same in 2013 for Florida State. They should be in the national title conversation all season long and be a major threat to win their first national championship.
Projected Postseason: NCAA
Returning Leaders:
Goals: Dagny Brynjarsdottir, Junior, Midfielder, 9
Assists: Dagny Brynjarsdottir, Junior, Midfielder, 9
Shots: Jamia Fields, Junior, Forward, 48
Saves: Kelsey Wys, Senior, Goalkeeper, 73
Madness 2014 NWSL Draft Rankings:
#15 Kassey Kallman
#23 Kelsey Wys
Madness 2013 Women's Soccer Recruit Rankings:
#4 Anna McClung
#22 Cassie Miller
#91 Marlo Sweatman
#103 Nickolette Driesse
See All Women's Soccer Top 44 Team Previews
