The Hurricanes gave the No. 3 Florida State Seminoles just about all the team could handle Sunday afternoon but couldn’t quite pull off the upset, finishing with a 1-0 loss in a game that included a rain delay at Seminole Soccer Complex.
The Canes (5-4-0) had an all-around impressive performance on both sides of the ball. They tied for the most shots on goal allowed by the Seminoles (7-1-0) all season, while at the same time holding FSU to its lowest shot output of the season. Despite playing a closely contested match, a first half goal by Seminoles’ forward Deyna Castellanos would be too much for the Hurricanes in their first ACC conference game of the year.
Miami attempted the game’s first four shots, not allowing Florida State an attempt at the goal until the 15th minute. The Hurricanes dominated possession in the beginning of the first half and constantly challenged Seminoles goalkeeper Cassie Miller. The lone goal came off a Miami mistake, when the Hurricanes attempted to clear the ball out of their own end of the field. A deflection off a player handed the ball to Castellanos directly in front of the goal, giving way to an easy score.
The Canes’ defense bounced back quickly. Redshirt sophomore goalkeeper Phallon Tullis-Joyce kept the Seminoles attack in check for the remainder of the game even after a two hour and 19-minute rain delay.
Miami’s offense was aggressive throughout the match, but could not find a way to score despite taking nine shots. The closest scoring opportunity for the Hurricanes came on a missed one-on-one chance when freshman forward Kristina Fisher rushed toward the goalkeeper in the second half.
Miami hopes to get its first conference win of the year against No. 5 Virginia on at 7 p.m. Thursday at Cobb Stadium.