No. 3 FSU Soccer takes on No. 1 Stanford tonight for NCAA national title

FSU Sports Information Release:

The No. 3-seeded FSU soccer team will play for its fifth national title against No. 1 Stanford in the national championship game tonight at 7 p.m. ET at CPKC Stadium in Kansas City, Mo.

Monday night will be the seventh time FSU and Stanford square off in the NCAA Tournament and the fifth time in the College Cup. It’s the second meeting in the championship game following the Seminoles’ win in 2023. This is the third time in the last eight seasons, and second in a row, that two ACC teams will play for the national title.

With four national championships and 15 College Cup appearances, Florida State is making its 26th NCAA Tournament appearance, every year since 2000. The Seminoles are 88-19-6 (.805) all-time in the NCAA Tournament. FSU’s national titles (4), College Cup appearances (15), NCAA Tournament wins (88) and NCAA win percentage (.805) all are second-best among all D-I programs. Since the start of the 2020 Tournament, Florida State is unbeaten in 28 of its last 29 NCAA games, and the last 13 in a row, with two national titles in those five-plus years.

The Seminoles have advanced to the national championship game for the fifth time in their last six College Cups and seven of their last nine. That includes 2014, 2018, 2021 and 2023, when Florida State went on to win the national championship. Overall, FSU is in the title game for the eighth time overall and the fifth time in the last eight seasons after reaching the College Cup for the fourth time in the last five years.

FSU is coming off a 1-0 victory over No. 2-seed TCU in the Semifinal in Kansas City. Florida State began NCAA play with a 4-0 home victory against Samford before a 1-0 neutral-site win vs. Lipscomb. A 3-1 win at No. 2 Georgetown in the Third Round followed, just the Seminoles’ 11th true road NCAA game and first since 2017. FSU punched its ticket to the College Cup with a 4-1 home win over Ohio State in the Quarterfinal on November 28.

Unbeaten in its last nine games overall with a 17-3 scoring margin in its last seven games, FSU is 15-2-4 on the season, 8-1-2 at home, 5-1-2 on the road, 2-0-0 at a neutral site, 4-2-1 against top-25 opponents and 5-0-0 in the NCAA Tournament. The Seminoles finished fourth in the ACC with a 6-2-2 record. They played three of the four No. 1 seeds in this year’s NCAA Tournament in ACC play, going 1-2-1 against those three squads.

FSU has scored 56 goals with 62 assists on 390 shots and 177 shots on goal in 2025. In 21 games, the team has allowed 15 goals on 149 shots, 56 on target, with 41 saves for a 0.71 goals-against average and a .732 save percentage.

Junior forward Jordynn Dudley leads the team with 36 points, 14 assists and 84 shots and is second with 11 goals and 31 shots on goal. A National Player of the Year finalist and All-American, she had a point in 13 consecutive games with multiple points in four of the last five matches to conclude the regular season. Sophomore forward Wrianna Hudson paces the team with 14 goals and 38 shots on goal and is second with 29 points and 57 shots. In goal, freshman Kate Ockene has made 21 saves in her 13 appearances for a .724 save percentage and a 0.73 goals-against average.

In the national rankings, FSU is No. 3 in the country in goal differential (+41), No. 5 in points per game (8.29), No. 6 in goals per game (2.67) and assists per game (2.95), No. 7 in shots on goal per game (8.43), No. 9 in shots per game (18.57), No. 14 in shutout percentage (.571), No. 23 in corner kicks per game (6.57) and No. 24 in goals-against average (0.711).

Individually, Dudley is fourth in the NCAA in assists per game (0.67), fifth in total assists (14), 15th in points per game (1.71) and 17th in total points (36) and shots per game (4.00). Hudson ranks No. 4 in shot accuracy (.667), No. 22 in total goals (14), No. 25 in goals per game (0.67) and No. 26 in shots on goal per game (1.81).

In the final regular-season poll, Florida State remained at No. 6 in the United Soccer Coaches top-25, released on November 4. The Seminoles also are fifth in the latest Top Drawer Soccer poll.

SERIES HISTORY VS. STANFORD

Florida State is 3-4-0 all-time against Stanford, with all but this year’s ACC regular-season meeting coming in the NCAA Tournament. FSU is 0-1-0 at home, 0-2-0 on the road and 3-1-0 at a neutral site. In NCAA play, the Seminoles are 3-3-0 overall and 3-1-0 at the College Cup, including 1-0-0 in the Championship Game. A 5-0 road loss in the 2010 Quarterfinal opened the series, followed by a 3-0 defeat in the 2011 Semifinal. FSU posted a 2-0 win in the 2014 Semifinal, one game before winning its first national title. A 1-0 third-round loss on the road in 2017 came one year before Florida State won 2-0 in the Semifinal, again setting up a national championship several days later. The Seminoles claimed their fourth NCAA title with a 5-1 win over the Cardinal in 2023.

Most recently, then-No. 7 Florida State suffered a 2-1 loss to then-No. 2 Stanford on October 16 at the Seminole Soccer Complex. Playing the second of three top-three-ranked teams in a four-game span, FSU trailed 2-0 in the first half, but got to within one with Dudley’s 84th-minute goal. However, despite facing extended offensive pressure in the final six minutes, the Cardinal prevented the tying goal to extend their win streak to six.

The loss snapped FSU’s 33-game home unbeaten streak, third-longest in team history. Florida State out-shot Stanford 16-9 and the Cardinal had a 6-5 edge in shots on goal. The home side earned five corner kicks and the visitors had three. Dudley had a game-best six shots, two on goal.

On Dec. 4, 2023, Florida State won its fourth national title with a 5-1 win over Stanford to complete a 22-0-1 unbeaten season. Dudley opened the scoring in the 29th minute with a penalty kick, and it was 2-0 26 seconds later. The Cardinal got their lone goal in the 52nd minute, but the Seminoles answered in the 58th, assisted by Mimi Van Zanten, to make it 3-1. It was 4-1 just over three minutes later, and one more made it 5-1 in the 84th minute. FSU had a 16-5 advantage in shots and an 8-1 edge in shots on goal. A full recap can be found here.

SCOUTING THE CARDINAL

Top-seeded Stanford is 21-1-2 on the season, including 14-0-0 at home, 5-1-1 on the road and 2-0-1 at a neutral site. The ACC regular-season champions with a 9-0-1 record, the Cardinal won the league’s postseason title on penalty kicks. SU has won five in a row in NCAA play, with a 22-5 scoring margin, and is unbeaten in its last 17 after suffering its lone loss, 2-0 at No. 18 UCLA on September 7. Stanford clinched its spot in the Championship Game with a 1-0 win vs. two-seeded Duke in Friday’s second Semifinal.

The Cardinal are making their 34th NCAA Tournament appearance, including 27 in the last 28 years. Stanford has made 13 College Cups and is in the final for the seventh time, winning it all in 2011, 2017 and 2019 to go along with runner-up finishes in 2009, 2010 and 2023. SU is second behind FSU with a .844 winning percentage since 2022 and tied for third with 78 overall NCAA Tournament wins. In the College Cup, Stanford’s 13 appearances and three titles overall are third behind Florida State’s 15 and four, respectively.

LAST TIME OUT: SEMIFINAL SHUTOUT WIN

Florida State defeated No. 2-seed TCU 1-0 in the National Semifinal to open the College Cup on December 5. FSU’s 12th clean sheet of the season and third of the Tournament snapped TCU’s 12-game unbeaten streak.

Hudson netted the game winner in the 73rd minute, the latest opening goal FSU has ever scored in a non-goalless NCAA Semifinal. It’s Hudson’s third goal of the postseason, and fourth game winner of the season. Senior defender Sophia Nguyen notched her third assist of the year and second of the postseason in as many games, while sophomore midfielder Peyton McGovern also earned an assist, her second of the year.

Florida State outshot TCU 15-7 with an 8-2 edge in shots on goal. The Horned Frogs took six corner kicks to the Seminoles’ four. Ockene managed two saves, including one in the final seconds, while TCU’s keeper recorded seven stops. Dudley led the attack with a game-high six shots and Hudson led all players with two shots on goal.

QUICK KICKS: NOTES TO KNOW

• Florida State is in its 31st season in 2025 and owns a 490-165-62 (.727) overall record since the team’s first season in 1995
• Head coach Brian Pensky is in his fourth season at FSU (69-7-12, .852) and his 21st as a collegiate head coach (254-118-57, .659), and has led the Seminoles to a national championship in 2023, another NCAA College Cup berth in 2022 and 2025 and five ACC titles, two regular season and three tournament
• FSU leads the country with an .852 winning percentage the last four years, when Pensky took the helm to begin the 2022 campaign
• With four national titles and 15 College Cup appearances, Florida State has made 26 total and consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances, every year since 2000, and is in the College Cup for the fourth time in the last five years and in the title game for the fifth time in the last eight years in 2025
• The Seminoles are No. 2 all-time in NCAA Tournament wins (88-19-6), win percentage (.805), national titles (4) and College Cup appearances (15)
• FSU is unbeaten in 28 of its last 29 NCAA games, and the last 13 in a row, since the start of the 2020 Tournament, with two national titles in that span
• Eight of the FSU’s 10 conference games came against teams in the top 10 in the ACC standings, the most in the league and two more than any other team
• The Seminoles had a four-game stretch where they played three games against teams that were ranked No. 3 in the country or higher in the national polls, and are now No. 1 seeds in the NCAA Tournament, starting on October 9 at No. 2 Notre Dame, continuing at home vs. No. 2 Stanford on October 16, before an October 23 win at No. 3 Virginia

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