On the biggest stage this country has to offer, Deyna Castellanos came up big when it mattered most. With a pass to a senior who has made a habit of scoring big-time goals.
Castellanos, who is one of the best players in school history and considered one of the top U-20 international players in the world, sent a dazzling pass into the box that was finished by a sliding Dallas Dorosy for the game-winner as Florida State beat North Carolina, 1-0, on Sunday in the national championship match in Cary, N.C.
“That’s something we always work on,” Castellanos said. “She was there how I expected. It was a great finish.”
Said Dorosy: "“I couldn’t ask for a better ball. There was a player on her, a player on me, and the ball was in a perfect spot.”
It's the second national title in program history for the Seminoles, who beat the three previous national champions during their 2018 tournament run.
After a turnover in the North Carolina end, Florida State got the ball to Castellanos near midfield. The junior made her way down the right side, continually looking for a teammate. Then after drawing two defenders, she wrapped a pass around them to Dorosy, who was speeding down the middle of the field. The senior then slid toward the pass and got her right foot on the ball to send it past North Carolina keeper Samantha Leshnak with just over 30 minutes left in the match.
Dorosy, who earned the nickname "Miss November" for her postseason exploits, finished off her tournament run with the biggest December goal of her life. She wound up scoring five of her seven goals of the year in the postseason.
“Me and Deyna, we made eye-contact,” Dorosy said. “And just, with everything I had, I threw my body in there. I didn’t even know it went in until I looked up.”
"She's done great, I think I need to rename her Miss December now," Krikorian said of Dorosy. "She's humble, she's a likable kid, she always shows up ready to go to work. ... To walk out of Florida State a national champion, they have to feel great about it."
Florida State keeper Caroline Jeffers, who took over as the starter in the first game of the NCAA Tournament after an injury to Brooke Bollinger, recorded a shutout with two saves. She also had a shutout in the semifinal win over No. 1 Stanford.
For the final 30 minutes the Seminoles' defense had to withstand an offensive onslaught from the 21-time national champions. And they did just that, as North Carolina managed a few chances down the stretch but were rebuked each time by the Florida State defenders.
And when the clock ticked down to 0:00, the Seminoles made a mad dash toward each other in front of their own goal and celebrated the second national title in program history.
"We worked so hard for this,” Dorosy said. “To go through adversity – we had some lows in the season and we worked through it – I think it makes it that much more valuable.
“We worked for it, and I think we deserved it, for sure.”
