Florida State soccer ties Rice University 1-1 before ACC play
· Yahoo Sports
The No. 15 Seminoles have started off the 2026 season 4-1-0, taking victories against the University of Stetson, Florida International University (FIU), Florida Atlantic University (FAU), but falling short to the University of Florida (UF).
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Most recently, the Seminoles bounced back from the first loss of the season when it hit the road, bringing home a win against No. 25 University of Georgia (UGA) on Thursday, Sept. 3.
’Noles soccer continued their season on Sunday, Sept. 6 at noon against the Rice University Owls at the Seminole Soccer Complex. The match resulted in a draw, as it was the last non-conference game for the Garnet and Gold.
Sunday Soccer
The match started out hot as junior forward Wrianna Hudson scored the first goal of the match just under two minutes in. The Owls began to pick things up with a shot that was saved by sophomore goalkeeper Kate Ockene eight minutes into the game.
As the first half continued, Florida State led in shots 6-5. The score remained 0-0 going into halftime. Six minutes into the second half, Ockene made yet again another save, this being her fourth. She finished with eight saves on the day.
“I mean, I'm a goalkeeper for a reason,” Kate Ockene said in the postgame press conference. “I wanna show up for my team the best I can do because they show up for me”
Hudson breaks Through
Shortly after minute 75, Hudson broke the ice and scored, giving the Seminoles a 1-0 lead. Hudson headed the ball in off a corner kick from junior forward Sam Erbach, giving her a second goal of the 2026 season.
Not long after Hudson’s goal, Rice took advantage and swept in as freshman forward Sloane Popov scored at 81:30, tying the game at 1-1 with just under 10 minutes remaining in the match.
“We battled obviously,” head coach Brian Pensky said in the postgame press conference. “The effort was good, we got a goal, we just unfortunately couldn't finish it out”
As the second half went on, FSU continued to fight and play strong. Freshman forward Ryder Ajeto gave the ‘Noles a glimpse of hope, scoring at ‘84, but after a video review, the goal was disallowed.
“Obviously we have a new team, 16 new players, so every single game is just time and we keep growing from every single game. I think our defense is getting stronger and stronger every game it’s just one of those things that takes time," Ockene said.
Eyes on Conference Play
The Garnet and Gold continues to move forward in their season, while also making sure to bond together with the addition of 16 new players this season.
“On the field we are getting better and better,” Ockene said. “I think we're super close together.”
With non-conference play now behind them, Florida State now turns its attention to Atlantic Coastal Conference (ACC) play. The season continues for the Seminoles when they face North Carolina State this Friday Sept. 11. at home.
“I think we're ready to fight for each other Friday night against NC State,” Pensky said.
Gretchen Knight is a Staff Writer for the FSView & Florida Flambeau, the student-run, independent online news service for the FSU community. Email our staff at [email protected].
This article originally appeared on FSU News: Florida State soccer ties Rice University 1-1 before ACC play