Florida State women's soccer: A look at path for Seminoles to get back to repeat as NCAA champions
The defense of its NCAA national women's soccer championship is now underway for Florida State.
The Seminoles are seeking to become the first team since the 2008-09 North Carolina teams to repeat as national champions.
On Monday, the NCAA revealed the bracket for the tournament, and FSU now knows what its path looks like to a third straight national championship game.
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The Seminoles (13-2-2) earned a share of the regular season ACC Championship and emerged as the tournament champions after beating Notre Dame and North Carolina in the tournament.
It is the 11th time in school history the Seminoles have been named a No. 1 seed and the fifth straight season.
As a result, FSU earned the No. 1 overall seed in the first season under new head coach Brian Pensky.
Being the No. 1 overall seed, the Seminoles will host every game through the quarterfinals.
The 2022 championship field features 64 teams with the tournament running from Nov. 11 through Dec. 5.
The Seminoles are slated to open the first round Friday against Florida Gulf Coast (12-5-2) at the Seminole Soccer Complex at 5 p.m.
Here's a look at the path for FSU to climb back to the Final Four and Championship games, all played at the same location as the ACC Tournament: in Cary, N.C.
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Familiar first round opponent
FSU opens with a familiar, in-state foe in Florida Gulf Coast.
The Eagles defeated Liberty in the ASUN Conference Tournament championship game to earn an automatic berth.
FGCU goalkeeper Katie Sullivan made the clinching save in the fifth round of penalties to help the Eagles advance.
FSU is 3-0 all time against the Eagles, including a 5-0 victory earlier this season back on Sept. 8.
FGCU did challenge the Seminoles in the first half earlier this season, keeping the score tied at nil at halftime.
Seventh-year senior Clara Robbins scored her first two goals of the season against the Eagles, while Olivia Garcia, Emma Bissell and Olivia Lebdaoui also scored goals.
Goalkeeper Cristina Roque had two saves and earned the shutout win.
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Second weekend
If the Seminoles take care of business against FGCU, they'll host the second and third rounds scheduled for Nov. 18 and 20.
There will be two games played on Friday, Nov. 18, with FSU poised to face the winner of No. 8 LSU and Lamar in the second round next Friday, while the winners of No. 5 Georgetown/Hofstra and Buffalo/No. 4 Pittsburgh will play.
The losers of the two second round matchups head home and the winners of the two second round matches would continue playing in Tallahassee.
FSU could be knocked out and still host the third round game.
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Quarterfinals
Scheduled for Thanksgiving weekend, Nov. 25 or 26, the quarterfinals would be another home match for the Seminoles, if they keep winning and the final one of the season.
On the other side of the bracket, No. 2 Saint Louis battles Memphis to open the tournament, while No. 7 Mississippi State and New Mexico State battle it out.
No. 3 Arkansas and Missouri State also play this weekend, while No. 6 Ohio State could be a threat to get to the quarterfinals, as it plays Bucknell in the first round.
The Billikens (20-1) could be the biggest threat to knock off the Seminoles in this bracket. St. Louis defeated Dayton 4-0 in the Atlantic 10 Championship Final on Sunday, capturing their fifth consecutive Atlantic 10 Women's Soccer Championship.
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Final Four and Championship
The Final Four semifinal games are scheduled for Dec. 2 and the NCAA Championship game for Dec. 5
The other No. 1 seeds in the tournament will open as the favorites to reach this stage. Alabama (19-2-1) will host its first-ever NCAA Tournament game after earning a No. 1 seed. The Crimson Tide went down in the SEC Championship game to South Carolina 1-0.
No. 2 Duke (12-4-3) would be another team to watch out for in the semifinals. The Seminoles defeated the Blue Devils 5-1 on Oct. 13 in Tallahassee behind a two-goal game from Jody Brown.
On the other side of the tournament bracket, Notre Dame (14-2-3) and UCLA (17-2) are the No. 1 seeds that could potentially play the Seminoles in the championship, if they can reach.
FSU defeated Notre Dame in PKs in the ACC Tournament semifinals, but the Irish defeated the Seminoles 4-0 on Oct. 9, handing them their first loss of the season.
Florida State is 1-3 all-time against the Bruins, including a 4-0 loss in NCAA Quarterfinals in 2019.
The No. 2 seeds in this bracket are Penn State (13-4-3) and familiar foe UNC (15-4-1).
A win over the Tar Heels in the ACC Tournament Championship ensured the Seminoles of the No. 1 overall seed, but UNC defeated the Seminoles 2-1 in Tallahassee on Oct. 20.
FSU defeated Penn State 3-1 in the Sweet 16 last season, in its road to the third championship.
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GAME INFORMATION
What: NCAA Tournament First Round
Who: No. 1 FSU (13-2-3) vs. Florida Gulf Coast (12-5-2)
When/where: Friday, 5 p.m.; Seminole Soccer Complex
Reach Ehsan Kassim at ekassim@gannett.com or follow him on Twitter at @Ehsan_Kassim. You can also follow our coverage on Facebook (NoleSports) and Instagram (tlhnolesports).
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This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Path for Seminoles' women's soccer to get back to repeat as NCAA champions
