No. 7 Florida State pummels SU 4-0
Syracuse fell to No. 7 Florida State on Friday to prolong its ACC struggles, marking its 23rd loss in ACC play since 2022. Leopold Gensler | Contributing Photographer
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Entering Sunday, Syracuse’s Atlantic Coast Conference winless run sat at 1,085 days. Its barren run was extended after a 1-1 draw against SMU on Thursday, a game in which head coach Nicky Thrasher Adams said SU “played well enough to get the win.”
Even with SU’s winless streak, you’d struggle to disagree with her.
Its stern defense, which includes wingbacks who can combine for goals, only forced Shea Vanderbosch into four saves compared to her eight in the 4-1 conference opener loss in 2024. Other than Linda Ullmark’s goal, it didn’t feel like SMU would cause Syracuse any danger. Its attack, which only scored five goals in ACC play last year, outshot the Mustangs, marking only the fifth time Syracuse has outshot an ACC opponent in the 28 games since its previous win.
Thursday was the litmus test to see if everything which worked in nonconference could work in conference games. And for the most part, it did.
“We did really well in (nonconference) and we played some good teams,” Ashley Rauch said postgame on Thursday. “We were like, ‘This is our home field.’ We’re going to play our style of play. We’re not going to let them run over us. At the end of the day, we’ll be just fine.”
But Florida State is a different beast. The Seminoles, which have qualified for the NCAA Tournament in 24 successive seasons and won it all in 2021, are one of four teams in the NCAA to have conceded just one goal this season. They rendered Louisville, which scored 37 goals in eight games before Thursday night, goalless last time out. In 2025, 10 players have scored at least one goal, chief among them being 2024 ACC All-Freshmen Wrianna Hudson, who has six.
Simply put, FSU is the Orange’s biggest test and it showed. Syracuse (4-2-4, 0-1-1 ACC) was outclassed by No. 7 Florida State (6-0-1, 2-0-0 ACC) in its 4-0 loss. Three goals in 12 second-half minutes put the game out of reach for Syracuse, which looked out of color against one of the best teams in the country as its winless conference run continued.
“We need to quit acting like it was our 10th loss of the year. It was only the second time we’ve lost a game,” Adams said. “For the first 45 minutes, we played well and unfortunately we did not stick to our identity and focus on the details in the second half. They showed why they’re No. 7 in the nation.”
Syracuse knew FSU would dominate possession and opportunities. In its last three meetings, FSU has outshot Syracuse by 61. But when Florida State lost the ball in the back or middle thirds of the field, SU saw its chance to counterattack with pace.
With the ball at the feet of Rauch on two occasions in the opening 10 minutes, Kendyl Lauher sprinted down the right flank while one of Mia Klammer and Maya McDermott offered an option to feet.
Even though FSU snuffed it out and regained possession on both occasions, the overload of SU’s wingbacks on the flanks became its best chance to break down Florida State.
“We worked all week on our transition opportunities, so it was a bit disappointing that we weren’t better in those areas,” Adams said.
Hudson got her first chance in the 15th minute right in front of Vanderbosch, yet failed to trouble Syracuse’s goalkeeper.
Six substitutions from FSU’s head coach Brian Pensky in the 23rd minute gave SU’s defense new profiles to deal with, and it held firm. Constant switches of the play made the tiniest of SU’s gaps widen, almost leading to Nyana Touray slotting the ball home from 18 yards away in the 31st minute. Klammer’s header from SU’s first corner two minutes later stung the gloves of Evan O’Steen for the first time.
But the Seminole pressure never waned, and in the 43rd minute, they got their reward. Heather Gilchrist found Marianyela Jiménez – one of the six substitutes – with nobody around her after Olivia Bozzo left her post to press Gilchrist.
The Venezuela U-20 international immediately turned and found Peyton Nourse, whose run already dragged Natalia Magnotta out of position. She delicately flicked into the path of Solai Washington, and with all three center backs exposed, slotted it beyond Vanderbosch for the lead.
It spelled doom for Syracuse.
Thursday night was the first time during SU’s conference winless run it garnered a positive result after initially trailing. Syracuse did a lot to shut down Florida State, but except for set pieces, created virtually nothing in the first half.
“First half we did our job exactly how we were supposed to do it. I don’t think they were really that dangerous at all in the first half, but we let it open up,” Adams said.
Mya Brandon’s header off a perfectly placed delivery from Enasia Colon didn’t help its case for a comeback. Then as the game got stretched, Hudson’s tap-in made it three with 30 minutes left before Magnotta’s clearance into Bree Bridges for an own-goal five minutes later rubbed salt into Syracuse’s wounds.
It was bleak but a familiar feeling for SU.
In its conference winless run, the Orange have failed to register a complete performance against an ACC opponent. Some bits are good and some bits are bad. Syracuse saw both sides of the coin Sunday. For as long as it continues, it’ll be extremely difficult for the Orange to win its first ACC match in over a 1,000 days.
“We went away from everything that’s been working for us. I’m not saying Florida State didn’t make it hard,” Adams said. “They made it harder, but that’s when we got to be braver and find a different way to get what we want out of it.”
