TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – University of South Alabama Jaguar soccer held the No. 2 Florida State Seminoles scoreless after 44 minutes, but a goal with 38 seconds remaining in the opening period carried FSU to a 5-0 victory in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Friday in Tallahassee, Fla.
 
USA finishes the 2014 campaign 19-3-1 and as champions of the Sun Belt Conference Tournament for the second year in a row after going 8-0-1 to claim the league's regular season title, its first outright. The loss on Friday snapped an 18-game unbeaten streak that dated back to Aug. 31.
 
"First of all, I want to congratulate Florida State," said Jaguar head coach Graham Winkworth. "I think they're one of the, if not the most well-coached and organized teams in the country, with potentially the most talent in the country as well. So congratulations to Coach (Mark) Krikorian and all the girls and staff, because they are a phenomenal squad. But I could not be more proud of my team. I know the scoreboard is the same as last year, we were kind of hoping the NCAA might send us in a different direction this year, but we were back here. I know the scoreboard says the same thing as last year, but I think the game was a little different and I think at halftime Coach (Krikorian) would admit that he was in a game, and it was a game. For 44 ½ minutes, we held them, maybe the best team in the country, so I could not be more proud of the team."
 
Five different scorers powered the Seminoles on Friday, with Megan Campbell and Emma Koivisto supplying three assists apiece. Dagny Brynjarsdottir recorded a goal and assist. Goalkeeper Cassie Miller was forced into making only a single save, as FSU outshot the Jaguars, 23-2, on the night, while topping the corner count, 11-0.
 
FSU applied pressure from the outset, forcing three corners before Brynjarsdottir's effort for the corner of USA's goal in the 14^th minute was cleared off the line by a Jaguar defender. Eight minutes later, Carson Pickett hit the crossbar on a try from the top of the Jaguar box.
 
Jaguar forward Chardé Hannah, who finishes the season one goal off tying the school's all-time season record after scoring 20 this year, saw her attempt in the 19^th minute well-saved by Miller after Hannah sliced through a couple of Seminole defenders.
 
Again, Florida State turned up the pressure and broke though in the 45^th minute on Brynjarsdottir's powerful header, which came from Campbell's left-footed in-swinger from the byline with only 38 ticks of the clock left in the first half.
 
"We changed our system," said Winkworth of Friday's game. "Last year, we came here playing our regular formation and there were too many holes, they ripped us apart with the quality of passing they've got. This year, we adjusted. We played a little bit more defensively-minded, or a lot more defensively-minded, and defended like heroes for the first 44 minutes."
 
The floodgates opened for the hosts in the second half, as FSU scored four more, beginning with Cheyna Williams' header seven minutes in. Eleven minutes later, it was 3-0 Seminoles when Brynjarsdottir sought out a streaking Pickett on the back post after Koivisto's quickly-taken free kick forced a push wide out of Hay.
 
Berglind Thorvaldsdottir made it 4-0 in the 73^rd on a header, and Nickolette Diresse scored the fifth and final six minutes later.
 
"I could not be more proud," Winkworth added. "I thought that the girls fought like warriors and were fantastic. You know, the second half we were getting a little bit tired, and watched a lot of passes go around us. But to be fair, it was a different game to last year. We will have plenty of opportunities to play against quality teams like Florida State again in the future, because I know we hope to schedule them in our regular season down the road. That shows that Coach (Krikorian) has got a lot of respect for our team, because he wouldn't want to schedule us if we wouldn't help his team as well."

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