2024 FSU Soccer Season Preview

Florida State soccer has developed into one of the very best brands in the sport. The record speaks for itself. FSU has made the NCAA Tournament 24 straight years. In 21 of those years the Noles have made the Sweet 16. In 18 of those years FSU has appeared in the Elite 8 and in 14 of those years they have made the College Cup (Final Four). The Seminoles were national runners-up in 2007, 2013 and (spring) 2021. The Noles were national champions in 2014, 2018, (fall) 2021 and 2023.

The last time FSU was not in the top 15 of the coaches poll was 2011.

FSU has been extremely successful in the competitive ACC as well. Florida State won the ACC regular season crown in 2009, 2012, 2014, 2020, 2022 (tie) and 2023. The Seminoles won the conference tournament in 2011, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2018, 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023. This is an astounding accomplishment as the ACC is perennially one of the top conferences in the nation.

Last year FSU finished 22-0-1 (11-0-1 ACC including post-season games). The Seminoles won the ACC Tournament. After earning the number one overall seed in the NCAA Tournament Florida State earned a fourth star by defeating Stanford in the national championship game.

Head coach Brian Pensky successfully guided the Noles to their fourth national championship last season. As always, the expectations in Tallahassee are high. Nevertheless, the Seminoles will have a talented roster even as they undergo a bit of an overhaul with a significant number of new faces joining the roster.

Let’s take a closer look at the Seminoles.

Arrivals

Giana Riley (junior, transfer, Gonzaga)

Lara Dantas (freshman, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil)

Marianyela Jiménez (senior, transfer, William Carey)

Taylor Suarez (freshman, Charlotte, NC)

Nina Norshie (junior, transfer, Barton Community College)

Camille Ashe (graduate, transfer, Portland)

Carissa Boeckmann (senior, transfer, Texas A&M)

Peyton McGovern (freshman, Bristow, VA)

Emma Kirlin (freshman, Greenville, SC)

Kameron Simmonds (junior, transfer, Tennessee)

Maddie Smith (graduate, transfer, Maryland)

Solai Washington (freshman, Atlanta, GA)

Ashlyn Puerta (freshman, San Diego, CA)

Wrianna Hudson (freshman, Rochester, NY)

Departures

Olivia Garcia (Signed with HB Koge)

Cristina Roque (Graduated, Utah Royals)

Maggie Taitano (Transfer, South Carolina)

Onyi Echegini (Graduated, Juventus now with PSG)

Lauren Flynn (Graduated, Utah Royals)

Beata Olsson (Graduated, AIK)

Jody Brown (Graduated, S.L. Benfica)

Leilanni Nesbeth (Graduated, Chicago Red Stars)

Kaitlyn Zipay (Graduated)

Maria Alagoa (Transfer, USC)

Leah Pais (Graduated, Thróttur Reykjavík FC )

Personnel

As usual, the Seminoles are flush with talent. Florida State features five players in the Top Drawer Soccer top 100 - Jordynn Dudley (2), Taylor Huff (7), Heather Gilchrist (22), Giana Riley (41), and Mimi Van Zanten (68). Former Noles Summer Denigan (92, Georgia) and Mia Justus (98, Texas) also made the list.

Florida State has 24 players listed on the official roster. However, that number comes with a couple of important caveats. Claire Rain has posted on social media that she may miss the entire season. FSU will also lose six players to international duty in the U20 Women’s World Cup. Jordynn Dudley, Heather Gilchrist, Giana Riley, and Taylor Suarez will all represent the United States. Lara Dantas will represent Brazil and Marianyela Jiménez will represent Venezuela. No other team in the nation will lose that many players to the World Cup.

The World Cup begins on August 31st and the final game will be on September 22nd. Of course there is no way to know for certain how far the teams will advance in the World Cup but if any of the teams featuring Seminoles make it to the championship game they will not be available until the Clemson game (Sept. 26th) at the earliest. However, my strong suspicion is that Florida State would be very hesitant to play any players who played in the U20 Championship game in the Clemson game given the short turnaround time.

Nevertheless, FSU will have a talented roster that will afford the coaching staff plenty of options.

Lets examine the roster in more detail.

The three goalkeepers on the roster are Adelyn “Addie” Todd, Maddie Smith and Emma Kirlin. That’s right. For the first time since 2019 Cristina Roque is not on the Florida State roster. The “Cheat Code” was the only player on last year’s roster to play all 2070 minutes (Lauren Flynn was second on the team with 2033 minutes). Therefore, there is not a goalkeeper on the roster with game experience playing for Florida State. However, Todd was on the roster last year and Smith has experience as a former starter at Maryland. In her last year at Maryland (2022), Smith played 13 games starting 11. She conceded 14 goals (1.21 GA) while recording 44 saves. Coincidentally, those numbers (14 goals and 44 saves) are the exact numbers that Roque posted last year. The only difference is that Smith played 1039 minutes while Roque played 2070. Roque was one of the best keepers in the nation last year so it would be unfair to expect anyone to match her level of play this year. However, Smith has significant experience at the major college level and Todd was a consensus top 100 recruit and was regarded as a top five goal keeper in the 2023 class. Therefore, FSU is unlikely to experience an extreme drop in goal keeper play this season.

In recent years the backline has been a source of a bit of uncertainty at Florida State. However, this year the Seminoles lose only one player (Lauren Flynn) from the backline as Ran Iwai, Mimi Van Zanten and Heather Gilchrist all return. Of course, Gilchrist will miss significant time with the U20 national team. Therefore the Noles will have to replace both starting center backs until Gilchrist returns. It seems that Sophia Nguyen and Camille Ashe have the inside track to be the center backs while Gilchrist is gone. Nina Norshie is another player that will get a long look. Somewhat unexpectedly forward Kameron Simmonds played on the backline in the exhibition against TCU so she could also be an option.

The midfield is a place where Florida State will have to make serious decisions as the Noles lost a significant amount of talent when Leilanni Nesbeth and Jody Brown turned pro. However, the Seminoles are fortunate that one of the best players in the nation (Taylor Huff) will return as the playmaking #10. Taylor Suarez is one of the top recruits in the 2024 class and she seems to have the inside track to start at the attacking midfield spot. However, Suarez is one of the players who will be joining the U20 national team. The coaches can get creative here as there are a number of players who are talented enough to step up and at the very least provide depth. Peyton McGovern and the aforementioned Kameron Simmonds are players to watch here. Newcomer Carissa Boeckmann took over at holding midfield against TCU. Boeckmann has tough shoes to fill as the last two holding midfielders at FSU played will enough to be drafted in the top 10 of the NWSL draft - Leilanni Nesbeth (#10) and Jaelin Howell (#2). How well Boeckmann adjusts to her new position may well be a key to the season for Florida State.

We have discussed some places where there may be a bit of uncertainty for the Seminoles. The attack will not be one of those places. FSU is stocked with a wealth of talent up top. There is no question that this will be the strength of the team. In short, Florida State is going to score goals this year. It all begins with Jordynn Dudley. There was some uncertainty at the beginning of last year about where Dudley would be most effective. However, when she was moved to the center forward (#9) position everything fell into place. Dudley blossomed into a first-team All-America performer who would have almost certainly been the first pick in the NWSL draft had she decided to go pro. The fact that she returned and will be flanked with a significant amount of talent basically guarantees that the Noles will once again have one of the top offenses in the nation. Dudley’s size, speed and athleticism are too much for basically any defender at the college level to handle one on one. The attention that she will demand from defenses will open up space for her teammates in the attack and they are well positioned to take advantage. Giana Riley and Solai Washington are the two players who are most likely to start at the wings. Washington was one of the top players in the 2024 class and her speed will test defenders on the flanks. Riley was a star for Gonzaga last season. She was named First Team All-West Region finishing 15th in the nation in points and 20th in goals. Florida State will have significant depth with Wrianna Hudson who will likely start at center forward when Dudley is with the U20 national team. I have mentioned Kameron Simmonds as a player to watch at other positions but she is so versatile that she could also play on the wing especially when Riley is with the national team.

Season Outlook

Florida State is ranked at the top of the preseason Coaches Poll. Five of the top 10 teams are from the ACC (Stanford #2, Clemson #5, Pitt #7 and North Carolina #8T).

The Seminoles will play four games against the top 25 (Georgia #14, Clemson #5, Pitt #7 and UNC #8T). However, the Noles avoid Stanford (#2), Notre Dame (#15) and Duke (#24). In addition, all of the games that FSU will play against the current top 25 this year are in Tallahassee. On one hand this schedule will likely yield quite a number of wins (and not too many losses) for the Noles. On the other hand, it is fair to wonder how well this schedule will prepare FSU for the postseason.

Notwithstanding the schedule, the race in the ACC should come down to FSU and Stanford with Notre Dame and Pitt as dark horses. With the World Cup players missing the August 29th game against Georgia could be tricky but it is in Tallahassee.

Nevertheless, the Seminoles have one of the most talented teams in the nation. As we discussed there are legitimate questions about the defense but this offense is extremely impressive (especially when they are at full strength). It could be dicey early when the Noles are down to only 14 field players during the World Cup. However, championships aren’t won in August or September. When it counts in the postseason the Noles should be at full strength and ready to go. That is not a comfortable prospect for the rest of the nation.

Next Game

Florida State will travel to Tampa, FL to face the South Florida Bulls on Thursday. The game will kickoff at 7pm and will be broadcast on ESPN+.

As always, the comments are yours.