Bracket preview: No. 1 FSU soccer begins NCAA Tournament play

Florida State soccer earned the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament and plays host to Morehead State on Friday at 5 p.m. (ESPN+) inside the Seminole Soccer Complex.

Fresh off their fourth consecutive and 10th ACC championship overall, the Seminoles will be tasked with taking every team’s best shot in the Big Dance. FSU showed tremendous resilience and versatility against Clemson in the ACC title game, as the Tigers did a good job trying to disrupt the Seminoles in the middle of the pitch and on the flanks.

Playing a bit more direct and moving some chess pieces around allowed Brian Pensky to utilize his players’ 1v1 talents and it created more combos for FSU to exploit Clemson. Look no further than the second goal of the match and game winner as Beata Olsson combined with Onyi Echegini for a nice cross and finish at the back post. The truth? This FSU team is loaded with the most attacking talent in the country. They are overwhelming favorites to reach the College Cup and probably have the best odds to win it, avenging the semifinal loss to UNC a year ago. Let’s preview this tournament and get you set for the run at a fourth star.

The Seminoles host Morehead State, champions of the Ohio Valley Conference, in the first round. The Eagles were the No. 2 seed in the regular season and defeated No. 1 seed Tennessee Tech to reach the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2013. They are 9-5-5 on the season and FSU should have no problems. FSU has never lost the opening round game of the NCAA Tournament. The bracket does have some interesting challenges as a potential rematch with No. 8 seed Texas A&M looms in the second round if the Aggies get past Colorado in their first-round matchup. You might remember FSU won 2-1 to start the year in College Station in what ended up being a decently competitive match.

No. 5 seed Texas has one of the best attacks in the country, led by Lexi Missimo (21 Goals) and Trinity Byars (17 Goals). Fellow ACC member Notre Dame is the No. 3 seed on this side of the bracket and likely is one of the favorites to play FSU in the Quarterfinals. The Seminoles defeated the Irish 4-1 earlier this season in Tallahassee. No. 2 seed Arkansas is a familiar name with a record of 14-4-2. The Razorbacks lost in the SEC Championship to UGA 1-0, but are dangerous and played FSU last season in the Elite Eight, a 1-0 Seminoles victory.

Somehow Pittsburgh is a No. 7 seed and in FSU’s quadrant. They could be a tough out and very well have the chance to make a deep run in the tournament. FSU has faced Pittsburgh twice this season winning 3-2 and 2-0. The other No. 1 Seed on FSU’s side of the bracket is Clemson, a team the Seminoles know very well. If things go chalk, the Seminoles and Tigers will play for a third time this season in the College Cup.

The Seminoles had standout performances from Echegini and Olsson in the ACC Tournament. Echegini dazzled for two games, looking particularly dangerous through the middle of the field. Her ability to play on the flanks and wide is an added bonus, she will be counted on to deliver. Olsson has saved her best for last, playing well in the postseason vs. Pittsburgh and Clemson. Pensky has opted to use her on the right wing at times, which is allowing her technical ability to shine and letting other make runs for her. She’s a high IQ player and faster than you think on the flank. Credit to Pensky for getting the most out of her in his system.

All eyes will be on Dudley this postseason and she clearly was not 100% in the ACC Tournament. Dudley earned Freshman off the Year honors in the ACC during her rookie campaign and even scored against Pitt in the Semis. She did look to be hobbling a bit during the tournament and her health is paramount for Brian Pensky. Do the Noles rest her against Morehead State, letting her rehab and get stronger for the following weekend? That is a key storyline for the Seminoles as she’s one of the best players, if not the best player, in college soccer.

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