Florida State women's soccer opens season with 5-0 win over South Florida

FSU women's soccer in actionPhoto byFSU Soccer/X

The No. 1 Florida State women's soccer team launched its national championship defense with a commanding 5-0 triumph over South Florida on Thursday night. This was Florida State's first road game against the Bulls since 2003.

How The Game Went: Taylor Huff excelled with three assists, matching her career-best in a single game, as FSU extended its scoring streak to 35 consecutive games, setting a new program record while improving its record to an 11-game winning streak over South Florida, dating back to 1998.

The match opened with promising opportunities for both teams. Jordynn Dudley narrowly missed a shot, while Addie Todd made her first collegiate save. The Seminoles' first goal came from an impressive cross by Mimi Van Zanten, which deflected off the right post into the net.

This marked Van Zanten's second career goal, her first since an important equalizer against North Carolina last season.

FSU doubled its advantage following a defensive error by USF, allowing Dudley to score easily, marking her first goal of the 2024 season. Dudley, who has scored in the last three games dating back to the College Cup Semifinals, celebrated her 15th career goal.

In the second half, the Seminoles widened the gap further.

Huff's second assist set up Giana Riley for a powerful strike, her first goal as a Seminole. Dudley then delivered a precise cross to Marianyela Jiménez for the fourth goal of the game.

Freshman Taylor Suarez capped the scoring with a goal from a high-flying cross by Ran Iwai, which slipped past the keeper at the near post, marking a memorable debut.

Florida State has now won its last 16 season openers, outscoring opponents 41-4.

Up Next For The Seminoles: The Seminoles return to Tallahassee for their home opener against North Florida on Sunday evening, with kickoff at 6:00 p.m., available to stream on ACC Network Extra.