Wake Forest women fall to Florida State

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Despite a career-high nine saves by Aubrey Bledsoe, the No. 23 Wake Forest women’s soccer team dropped a 1-0 overtime heartbreaker to No. 14 Florida State at the Seminole Soccer Complex in Tallahassee, Fla. Thursday.

With the loss, the Deacons fall to 8-4-0 (2-1-0 ACC) while the Noles improve to 8-2-0 (2-0-0).

The Wake Forest defense fought off wave after wave of Florida State pressure throughout the match as the two teams went scoreless through regulation time. Six minutes into the first overtime period, Florida State’s Janice Kim threw a cross in front of goal from the right goal line that found the feet of Rachel Lim at the top of the six-yard box. Lim scuffed a shot that eluded a host of Wake Forest defenders and trickled over the goal line for the game-winning goal for the Seminoles.

Florida State had the better of the play during the match, outshooting Wake Forest 17-5, but the Deacon defense turned in one of its best performances of the season to hold the Seminoles scoreless through regulation. Bledsoe’s nine saves shattered her previous career high of four, which was set in the season opener at UNC Wilmington, and were the most by a Wake Forest keeper since 2008 when Laura Morse had 11 stops against Virginia.

Florida State goalie Kelsey Wys made three saves to earn her sixth shutout of the season. The Noles’ Tori Huster led all players with seven shots, all on target.

FSU’s Amanda DaCosta got the first good attempt of the game in the fourth minute when she came into the box from the left and blasted a shot that went wide of the target.

The Seminoles threatened again in the 14th minute, when Casey Short took a shot from the left that threatened the near post, but Bledsoe was there to make the save.

Breezy Hupp had another good opportunity for FSU in the 34th minute, finding a loose ball at the top of the box and launching a shot that sailed over the crossbar.

Bianca D’Agostino took Wake Forest’s first shot of the game in the 40th minute, but the attempt was saved by Wys.

Huster had an opportunity to give Florida State the lead in the 43rd minute, but her header from the middle of the box was snagged out of mid-air by Bledsoe, leaving the teams tied at 0-0 at the halftime break.

Huster had another good chance in the 52nd minute when a long ball put her behind the Deacon defense, but Caralee Keppler recovered well to apply pressure and Huster’s shot from 15 yards was fisted down by Bledsoe to preserve the 0-0 scoreline.

Katie Stengel put a shot on frame in the 71st minute, but it was comfortably saved by Wys.

The Seminoles had a golden opportunity to take the lead in the 77th minute. An FSU player launched a 40-yard free kick into the box that Bledsoe got a hand on but could not clear. Huster steered an overhead kick towards goal, but Wake Forest defender Alisha Woodson was there at the back post to clear the ball off the goal line.

The Deacons had some chances of their own a few minutes later as Wake Forest players put numerous threatening balls into the Florida State box, but could not get any shots off. Stengel finally finished the sequence from a shot from the left from 15 yards that drifted wide of the right post.

As the clock ticked under five minutes in regulation, Wake Forest threatened again. A passing sequence among the Deacon midfielders left D’Agostino wide open in the center of the pitch, but her strike from 25 yards went right of the goal.

Lim scored the golden goal for the Seminoles in the 96th minute, collecting a pass from Janice Cayman at the top of the six-yard box and pushing the ball over the goal line to give Florida State the win.

Wake Forest will return to action next week when it hosts NC State on Oct. 7  at 7 p.m. at Spry Stadium before returning to the Sunshine State to take on Miami on Oct. 10 in Coral Gables, Fla.