# 2022 Florida State Seminoles women's soccer team

The 2022 Florida State Seminoles women's soccer team represented Florida State University during the 2022 NCAA Division I women's soccer season. It was the 28th season of the university fielding a program. The Seminoles were led by first-year head coach Brian Pensky, who was hired prior to the season to replace long time coach Mark Krikorian.
Florida State finished the season 17–3–3 and 8–2–0 in ACC play to finish in a tie for first place. As the second seed in the ACC Tournament, they received a bye into the Semifinals where they hosted Notre Dame. The match ended in a 3–3 draw and Florida State won the ensuing penalty shoot-out 4–2 to advance to the Final. In the Final, they defeated North Carolina to successfully defend their ACC Tournament title. As tournament champions, they received an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament and were the first seed in the Florida State Bracket. They defeated Florida Gulf Coast in the First Round, eight-seed LSU in the Second Round, and four-seed Pittsburgh in the Round of 16. They hosted third-seed Arkansas in the Quarterfinals and won 1–0. This set up a rematch with North Carolina in the Semifinals. This time, North Carolina came out on top 3–2 to end the Seminoles' season.

## Previous season

The Seminoles finished the season 21–1–3 and 7–1–2 in ACC play to finish in second place. As the second seed in the ACC Tournament, they defeated Wake Forest and Virginia to win the tournament. The win was the program's eighth ACC Tournament title. The Seminoles received an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament and were awarded a number one seed. The Seminoles defeated South Alabama, SMU, Pepperdine, Michigan, and Rutgers on their way to the tournament final. In the final, they defeated BYU in a penalty shoot-out to be crowned National Champions. Following the season, Krikorian resigned as head coach.

## Offseason
### Departures

Departures :
| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Year | Hometown | Reason for Departure |
| Alyssa Stadeker | 3 | DF | 5'5" | Freshman | Smyrna, Georgia | Transferred to Georgia |
| Kristina Lynch | 4 | FW/MF | 5'7" | Senior | Granger, Indiana | Graduated, Transferred to Notre Dame |
| Jaelin Howell | 6 | MF | 5'8" | Senior | Lone Tree, Colorado | Graduated, Drafted 2nd overall in the 2022 NWSL Draft |
| Taya Hjorth | 9 | DF | 5'8" | Freshman | Commerce Township, Michigan | Transferred to Kentucky |
| Kirsten Pavlisko | 11 | MF/DF | 5'6" | Senior | Middleburg, Florida | Graduated |
| Gabby Carle | 16 | DF/MF | 5'6" | Senior | Quebec, Canada | Graduated |
| Gianna Mitchell | 21 | DF | 5'10" | Senior | Springfield, Massachusetts | Graduated |
| Megan Morgan | 22 | FW | 5'4" | Freshman | Weston, Florida | Transferred to Miami (FL) |
| Emily Madril | 25 | MF/DF | 5'7" | Senior | Navarre, Florida | Graduated |
| Yujie Zhao | 33 | MF | 5'6" | Senior | Shanghai, China | Graduated |

### Incoming Transfers

Incoming Transfers :
| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Year | Hometown | Previous School |
| Onyi Echegini | 6 | MF | 5'9" | Senior | London, England | Mississippi State |

### Recruiting Class

| Name | Hometown | Club |
| Summer Denigan MF | Union, Michigan | Nationals |
| Olivia Garcia FW | Las Vegas, Nevada | Utah Royals FC |
| Heather Gilchrist DF | Boulder, Colorado | Colorado Rapids |
| Olivia Lebdaoui FW | Panama City Beach, Florida | Concorde Fire SC |
| Sophia Nguyen MF | Pensacola, Florida | Orlando City SC |

## Squad
### Roster

    As of December 28, 2022
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| 0 | FW | USA | Olivia Garcia |
| 1 | GK | PUR | Cristina Roque |
| 2 | FW | USA | Jenna Nighswonger |
| 5 | MF | USA | Summer Denigan |
| 6 | MF | ENG | Onyi Echegini |
| 7 | MF | JPN | Ran Iwai |
| 8 | DF | USA | Lauren Flynn |
| 9 | FW | SWE | Beata Olsson |
| 10 | FW | JAM | Jody Brown |
| 12 | MF | IRL | Heather Payne |
| 13 | FW | BER | LeiLanni Nesbeth |
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| 15 | MF | USA | Kaitlyn Zipay |
| 16 | MF | USA | Sophia Nguyen |
| 17 | MF | ENG | Emma Bissell |
| 18 | MF | POR | Maria Alagoa |
| 19 | FW | USA | Amelia Horton |
| 20 | DF | USA | Heather Gilchrist |
| 21 | FW | USA | Olivia Lebdaoui |
| 23 | GK | USA | Mia Justus |
| 26 | DF | USA | Clara Robbins |
| 88 | MF | CAN | Melina Descary |

### Team management

| Position | Staff |
| Athletic Director | David Coburn |
| Head Coach | Brian Pensky |
| Assistant Coach | Bobby Shuttleworth |
| Assistant Coach | Aaron Brunner |
| Director of Operations | Sarah Buckley |
| Volunteer Assistant Coach | Andrew Hudson |
Source:

## Schedule

Source:
| Date Time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | Site (Attendance) City, State |
| Non-conference Regular season ||||||
| August 18* 7:00 p.m., SECN | No. 1 | at No. 12 South Carolina | T 0–0 | 0–0–1 | Stone Stadium (5,000) Columbia, SC |
| August 21* 1:00 p.m., ESPNU | No. 1 | at Georgia | W 3–1 | 1–0–1 | Foley Field (1,883) Athens, GA |
| August 25* 6:00 p.m., ACCN | No. 2 | No. 16 Auburn | T 1–1 | 1–0–2 | Seminole Soccer Complex (1,216) Tallahassee, FL |
| September 4* 5:00 p.m., SECN+ | No. 10 | at Florida Rivalry | W 5–0 | 2–0–2 | James G. Pressly Stadium (1,255) Gainesville, FL |
| September 8* 7:00 p.m., ACCNX | No. 8 | Florida Gulf Coast | W 5–0 | 3–0–2 | Seminole Soccer Complex (1,215) Tallahassee, FL |
| September 11* 2:00 p.m., CUSA.tv | No. 8 | at Rice | W 5–0 | 4–0–2 | Holloway Field (491) Houston, TX |
| ACC Regular season ||||||
| September 16 4:00 p.m., ACCNX | No. 12 | at Boston College | W 6–0 | 5–0–2 (1–0–0) | Newton Campus Soccer Field (406) Chestnut Hill, MA |
| September 22 7:00 p.m., ACCNX | No. 7 | Louisville | W 5–1 | 6–0–2 (2–0–0) | Seminole Soccer Complex (1,222) Tallahassee, FL |
| September 25 1:00 p.m., ACCNX | No. 7 | No. 14 Clemson | W 3–1 | 7–0–2 (3–0–0) | Seminole Soccer Complex (2,125) Tallahassee, FL |
| October 1 5:00 p.m., ACCNX | No. 7 | at Miami (FL) Rivalry | W 1–0 | 8–0–2 (4–0–0) | Cobb Stadium (562) Coral Gables, FL |
| October 6 8:00 p.m., ACCN | No. 3 | at No. 2 Virginia | W 1–0 | 9–0–2 (5–0–0) | Klöckner Stadium (3,082) Charlottesville, VA |
| October 9 12:00 p.m., ESPNU | No. 3 | at No. 17 Notre Dame | L 0–4 | 9–1–2 (5–1–0) | Alumni Stadium (544) Notre Dame, IN |
| October 13 6:00 p.m., ACCN | No. 4 | No. 12 Duke | W 5–1 | 10–1–2 (6–1–0) | Seminole Soccer Complex (1,310) Tallahassee, FL |
| October 20 8:00 p.m., ACCN | No. 4 | No. 2 North Carolina | L 1–2 | 10–2–2 (6–2–0) | Seminole Soccer Complex (2,169) Tallahassee, FL |
| October 23 1:00 p.m., ACCNX | No. 4 | at No. 20 Pittsburgh | W 1–0 | 11–2–2 (7–2–2) | Ambrose Urbanic Field (832) Pittsburgh, PA |
| October 27 7:00 p.m., ACCNX | No. 5 | Virginia Tech | W 4–1 | 12–2–2 (8–2–2) | Seminole Soccer Complex (1,227) Tallahassee, FL |
| ACC Tournament ||||||
| November 3 8:00 p.m., ACCN | (2) No. 5 | vs. (3) No. 4 Notre Dame Semifinal | T 3–3 (4–2 PKs) | 12–2–3 | Sahlen's Stadium (2,686) Cary, NC |
| November 6 12:00 p.m., ESPNU | (2) No. 5 | vs. (1) No. 2 North Carolina Final | W 2–1 | 13–2–3 | Sahlen's Stadium (3,876) Cary, NC |
| NCAA Tournament ||||||
| November 11 5:00 p.m., ESPN+ | (1) No. 5 | Florida Gulf Coast First Round | W 3–0 | 14–2–3 | Seminole Soccer Complex (1,347) Tallahassee, FL |
| November 18 5:30 p.m., ESPN+ | (1) No. 5 | (8) LSU Second Round | W 4–1 | 15–2–3 | Seminole Soccer Complex (1,668) Tallahassee, FL |
| November 29 5:00 p.m., ESPN+ | (1) No. 5 | (4) No. 19 Pittsburgh Round of Sixteen | W 3–0 | 16–2–3 | Seminole Soccer Complex (1,238) Tallahassee, FL |
| November 26 5:00 p.m., ESPN+ | (1) No. 5 | (3) No. 9 Arkansas Quarterfinal | W 1–0 | 17–2–3 | Seminole Soccer Complex (2,667) Tallahassee, FL |
| December 2 6:00 p.m., ESPNU | (1) No. 5 | vs. (2) No. 2 North Carolina Semifinal | L 2–3 | 17–3–3 | WakeMed Soccer Park (10,000) Cary, NC |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from United Soccer Coaches. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Eastern. ||||||

## Awards and honors

| Recipient | Award | Date |
| Cristina Roque | Pre-season All-ACC Team | August 11 |
| Jenna Nighswonger | Pre-season All-ACC Team | August 11 |
| Clara Robbins | Pre-season All-ACC Team | August 11 |
| Beata Olsson | Pre-season Hermann Trophy Watchlist | August 18 |
| Onyi Echegini | ACC Offensive Player of the Week | September 20 |
| Cristina Roque | ACC Co-Defensive Player of the Week | October 11 |
| Onyi Echegini | ACC Co-Offensive Player of the Week | November 1 |
| Cristina Roque | ACC Goalkeeper of the Year | November 2 |
| Jenna Nighswonger | All ACC-First Team | November 2 |
| Jody Brown | All ACC-First Team | November 2 |
| Cristina Roque | All ACC-First Team | November 2 |
| Clara Robbins | All ACC-Second Team | November 2 |
| Onyi Echegini | All ACC-Second Team | November 2 |
| LeiLanni Nesbeth | All ACC-Second Team | November 2 |
| Heather Payne | All ACC-Third Team | November 2 |
| Beata Olsson | All ACC-Third Team | November 2 |
| Heather Gilchrist | ACC All-Freshman Team | November 2 |
| Jenna Nighswonger | ACC Tournament MVP | November 6 |
| Jody Brown | All-ACC Tournament Team | November 6 |
| Onyi Echegini | All-ACC Tournament Team | November 6 |
| Beata Olsson | All-ACC Tournament Team | November 6 |
| Jenna Nighswonger | First Team All-Region | November 29 |
| Cristina Roque | First Team All-Region | November 29 |
| Jody Brown | First Team All-Region | November 29 |
| Clara Robbins | Second Team All-Region | November 29 |
| Jenna Nighswonger | United Soccer Coaches First Team All-American | December 2 |
| Cristina Roque | United Soccer Coaches Third Team All-American | December 2 |
| Jody Brown | United Soccer Coaches Third Team All-American | December 2 |
| Jenna Nighswonger | Hermann Trophy finalist | December 8 |
| Jenna Nighswonger | Honda Award finalist | December 14 |

## Rankings

Ranking movements Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking т = Tied with team above or below ( ) = First-place votes :
| | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week |
| Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | Final |
| United Soccer | 1 (5) | 2 | 10 | 8 | 12 т | 7 | 7 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 5 | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | 3 |
| TopDrawer Soccer | 1 | 2 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 |

## NWSL Draft

| Player | Team | Round | Pick # | Position |
| Emily Madril | Orlando Pride | 1 | 3 | MF |
| Jenna Nighswonger | Gotham FC | 1 | 4 | FW |
| Clara Robbins | North Carolina Courage | 1 | 9 | DF |