ONE OF THE ELITE

One of the highlights of head coach Patrick Baker's tenure in Tallahassee has been his NCAA Tournament success. The Tribe coach is 9-4 all-time in the NCAA Tournament for a .692 winning percentage. That puts Florida State sixth all-time in NCAA Tournament history in tournament winning percentage. While FSU has been to just four tournaments, that hasn't skewed their numbers making the Tribe look more successful due to fewer appearances. When you look at average wins per NCAA Tournament berth, the Seminoles are even better ranking fourth all time with 2.3 wins per trip. Overall, Florida State's nine total wins put the Tribe in elite company as well. Despite the tournament being played for 22 years, the Seminoles are one of just 20 teams to record nine NCAA Tournament wins. Of those teams with nine or more wins, none have gone to fewer NCAA Tournaments than seven while FSU has been to just four. Outside of North Carolina, what the Tribe has done in just four NCAA Tournaments is amazing when compared to the rest of the ACC. No team in the ACC, barring North Carolina, has a better NCAA Tournament winning percentage or more wins per NCAA Tournament trip. Only Virginia has as many NCAA Tournament wins (nine) but it took the Cavaliers four times as many trips (16 to 4) to amass as many wins as Florida State.

WIN %                        WINS/NCAA

UNC    .942            UNC            3.7

Port.     .743            Port            2.5

NDU    .722            NDU            2.4

Florida  .714            FSU            2.3

SCU     .713            SCU            2.2       

FSU     .692            Penn St            2.1

Penn St .679            Florida            2.1

UCLA  .667            UCLA            2.0

UConn  .623            UConn            1.7

FIVE STRAIGHT TRIPS

This year's invitation to the NCAA Tournament is a historic one for FSU. Not only is it the fifth consecutive invitation for FSU but also it means that the Tribe has played in the NCAA Tournament five times in 10 years. After going 0 for 5 in the first five years of program history, for the Seminoles to be making the tournament at a 50% clip in program history is pretty amazing. The Seminoles are one of just 18 schools out of 306 playing Division I soccer that have gone to five consecutive NCAA Tournaments. Of those 18 schools, five are from the ACC. Considering the fact the 23 of the 64 teams from last year's tournament didn't even make it back in 2004 (36%), what the Tribe has done over five straight years is amazing. BYU, who was an Elite Eight school, and Purdue, who made it to the Sweet 16, are two of the most notable schools missing. Along with 2003 Tallahassee regional participant Dartmouth, which missed the tournament for the first time in five years.

FIVE STRAIGHT NCAA's

Stanford

Notre Dame

Clemson*

Portland

West Virginia

Virginia*

Penn State

Princeton

Florida State*

UConn

Nebraska

Santa Clara

UCLA
San Diego

William & Mary

Texas A&M

Wake Forest*

North Carolina*

*ACC School

THE OTHER GUYS CAN PLAY TOO

Florida State may be entering the tournament with a 5-4-2 record in its last 11 games and a 12-5-2 record overall, but the Seminoles will not be entering postseason play with their heads hung low. The Tribe's five losses came against the No. 1 team in the nation (North Carolina), the team that won the ACC title (Virginia), the SEC Tournament Champions (Florida) and two teams (Duke and UCF) with a combined 29 wins between them. Overall, the five squads that defeated the Seminoles had a combined record of 79-16-8 for an amazing .806 winning percentage. Four of the five teams had 16 or more wins, two were conference champions and four of the five played for their conference title.

ROAD TESTED

Florida State is 9-4 in the NCAA Tournament and almost half of those victories (four) have come away from home. The Tribe has hosted an opening round NCAA Tournament game three of the last five years but never beyond the round of 32 so the biggest postseason wins in school history have all come away from Tallahassee. In 2000, FSU defeated Florida in Gainesville to advance to the Sweet 16. In 2001, FSU and Auburn met on a neutral site in the opening round in Clemson, SC and the Tribe got a win there too. Last season, two of the biggest wins in school history came on the road. FSU defeated West Virginia in Morgantown in the Sweet 16 and then downed Florida in Gainesville to advance to the College Cup. Florida State has recorded all four of their NCAA Tournament losses on the road but that is what happens when you are 5-0 all time at home in the NCAA's. The Seminoles have never lost an NCAA Tournament game in Tallahassee nor have the Tribe ever lost an NCAA Tournament opening round game.

BEEN THERE

The NCAA Tournament may be getting underway officially on Thursday in Chapel Hill, NC but for FSU, they have been playing in the tournament for the last two months basically. Ten of FSU's last 16 games came against NCAA Tournament squads including six of the last eight games. Since playing Florida September 10, the Tribe has played NCAA Tournament teams back-to-back on one occasion and three straight times on two occasions.

FIELD OF SCREAMS

Florida State played 10 games versus the 2004 NCAA Tournament field and posted a record of 3-5-2 in those games. Even more concerning is the Seminoles 0-2 record versus teams in their NCAA regional. On a positive note, FSU has never lost two games in a season to either Florida or UCF so if the Tribe were to get past Boston College, the numbers might turn in their favor. You only need to look at last season when FSU fell to UF 2-0 in the regular season only to come back and beat the Gators 2-1 in the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament.

FSU VERSUS THE FIELD

W: Va Tech, CLEM, WFU

L: UNC, UF, UCF, DU, UVA

T: UMD, CLEM

WHERE ONLY EAGLES DARE

Not only have Boston College and Florida State never met, they haven't even played a common opponent in 2004. In fact only three of Boston College's 2004 opponents have even played an FSU opponent, which makes trying to get a handle on this opening round match pretty difficult. BC has more NCAA Tournament experience as a program, making eight overall trips but the current Eagles have played just two games in the NCAA's and have yet to record a win. On the other hand, FSU has played in three fewer tournaments but its current players are 7-3 in the NCAA's and have played in 10 games in three seasons.  Statistically, BC is scoring more goals per game and allowing fewer goals to its opponents than Florida State. When it comes to schedule strength, BC played four teams that are currently ranked in the NSCAA and lost all four of those matches. The Tribe also played four teams that are currently ranked in the NSCAA and lost all four of those matches. The Eagles come in as the hotter team having won 11 of their last 13 while FSU has just five wins in its last 11 matches.

BIG BEAST

Florida State is 1-2 all-time against BIG EAST teams in the NCAA Tournament. The Seminoles lost 1-0 to UConn in 2003, beat West Virginia in Morgantown in the Sweet 16 in 2003 before falling once again to Connecticut in last year's College Cup. Overall, since head coach Patrick Baker took over the Seminole program, FSU is 6-3 all time against BIG EAST squads. Four of those wins came against intra-state rival Miami before they moved to the ACC. Half of FSU's BIG EAST wins have come in one-goal games.

KNIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD

Florida State had won four straight games against UCF before allowing a 2-0 lead to slip away on senior night 2004 and falling 3-2 on a last minute goal...FSU shut out UCF the last two times the teams played in Orlando...all three FSU keepers have played against UCF and they have combined to allow four goals in four games...despite scoring 13 goals versus the Golden Knights in the last four years, no current Seminole has more than one goal versus UCF...FSU has scored three or more goals versus the Golden Knights in three of the last five meetings. The Tribe has scored three or more goals just three times all season...Florida State has never lost back-to-back games to the Golden Knights... the loss was the first time Florida State gave up a 2-0 lead and ended up losing a game since 2001 when the Tribe took a 2-0 lead into half versus Charlotte and lost that contest 4-3...it was also the first time ever FSU has lost a home game after taking a 2-0 lead...the win was UCF's first over FSU since 1998 and the three goals scored by the Golden Knights were equal to the total they had combined to score in the previous five meetings between the schools.

THE RIVALRY

There in no doubt that throughout the northern part of Florida, soccer fans think there is no better rivalry in the women's game than Florida State and Florida. Since Patrick Baker came to Florida State the series is 4-4 and five of the last eight games have been decided by one goal and the other two games by just two goals. On top of the natural rivalry between the schools, the games have obviously been close and the teams have met in two of the last four NCAA Tournaments as well. There is some evidence though that since 2000 there has been no better series in all of college soccer than the annual clash between the Seminoles and Gators and that isn't just regional bias talking. Since 2000, nine different schools have played in the College Cup and of those nine schools only Florida State and Florida play an annual out of conference game. Santa Clara and Portland play each year as do UConn and Notre Dame but those are all forced match-ups due to conference affiliations. Florida State also plays North Carolina annually as members of the ACC making FSU the only team in America to play two College Cup teams from the last four years every season since 2000.

SERIES-OUSLY

One of the reasons the Florida State/Florida series has become one of the nation's best is due to Seminole head coach Patrick Baker. Before the Tribe boss took over in 1999, FSU was 0-4 versus the Gators and had been outscored 15-0. In his first season in Tallahassee, Baker's Seminoles finally scored a goal against UF. Since then, Baker has gone 4-3 against UF including two wins in the NCAA Tournament both of which came in Gainesville. Baker has also turned this into a series between ranked teams. When the two squads met earlier this year, it was the first regular season meeting when both schools were ranked in the top 10.  Florida State was third in the nation ranked just three spots ahead of UF. That was a good omen for the Gators. The lower ranked team in the series has won six of the last seven meetings. One other odd trend is that Baker's four wins versus the Gators have all come by one goal yet UF had never won a one-goal game against FSU before the 2004 season. Florida State is still looking for its first ever shutout against UF. The Seminoles have allowed just one goal to the Gators in each of their last three wins.

RANDOM THOUGHTS

Florida State has played Auburn more than any other school in the NCAA Tournament and the Tribe has a 3-0 record versus the Tigers...FSU has faced both Clemson and Florida twice in the NCAA's...the Seminoles are 6-0 in the NCAA Tournament versus SEC schools (3-0 against Auburn, 2-0 against Florida and 1-0 versus Ole Miss)...the only two teams to ever beat FSU in the NCAA Tournament are Clemson (0-2) and UConn (0-2)...the Tribe has a win over an SEC, A-Sun, Ivy League and BIG EAST team in their NCAA Tournament history...the Tribe is 5-0 at home, 1-1 at neutral sites and 3-3 on the road in the NCAA Tournament...Florida State has played more NCAA Tournament games in Gainesville (two), than at any other opponent's field...FSU has outscored it's NCAA Tournament opponents 25-11...FSU has recorded shutouts in four of its last 10 NCAA Tournament games and in four of its last seven wins...only three of FSU's 13 all-time tourney games have come against Florida teams but the Tribe is 3-0 in those matches...FSU has never entered the NCAA Tournament with a better winning percentage than the .684 winning percentage they sport right now...Florida State has advanced to the Sweet 16 in every even numbered year since making the NCAA's for the first time in 2000...the Seminoles have never had to step foot on an airplane for an opening round NCAA Tournament match.

YEAR  TEAM              SCORE                        H/A/N

2000            Jacksonville      4-1                   H

2000     Florida              2-1                   A

2000            Clemson          0-2                   A

2001     Auburn             1-0                   N

2001            Clemson          0-1                   A

2002     Ole Miss     2-0                   H

2002     Auburn             2-1                   H

2002     UConn              0-1                   A

2003            Dartmouth        5-0                   H

2003     Auburn             2-1                   H

2003     West Virginia 3-2                   A

2003     Florida              2-1                   A

2003     UConn              0-2                   N

AT A LOSS FOR LOSSES

Nobody around FSU was happy about the Tribe being eliminated in the opening round of the ACC Tournament after tying Clemson but falling in a shootout. Despite the early exit, Florida State is still second to only UNC in ACC Championship game appearances over the last four years. There are some other positives that came out of the game. The Seminoles have more than a week of rest, recovery and preparation for the NCAA Tournament and the tie also assured FSU of the fewest losses in team history. No matter what happens in the NCAA Tournament, the worst FSU can finish the season is with six losses, which would be the fewest losses ever for a Seminole team in a single season. The previous record was seven and the 1996 and 2002 teams set that. The Seminoles are also still in line to record the best winning percentage in team history and will have a shot at the single season record for wins depending on how far they advance in the NCAA's.

YEAR            RECORD       PCT.

2004     12-5-2               .684

2003     17-8-1               .673

2002     13-7-3               .630

2001     15-8-1               .646

2000     14-8-2               .625

1999     9-10-1               .475

1998     7-11-3               .405

1997     8-12-0               .400

1996     12-7-1               .625

1995     4-14-1               .237

SHUFFLE UP AND DEAL

The Tribe has been hit hard by key injuries in 2004 and that has caused a lot of shuffling of the team's line-up. So far in 2004, the Seminoles have played 19 games and started 15 different line-ups in that span. Only two players have started every game at the same position for FSU in 2004 and both are defenders. Katie Beal and Kelly Rowland have started all 19 games together in the back line. Dating back to last season that makes 21 consecutive games in which those two players have started next to one another in the middle of the Tribe defense. Fellow defender Marion Cagle has started all 19 games in 2004 as well but she has played both outside left and right back. Eighteen different players have started at least one game and 11 have started nine or more matches.

THE ACC DID THAT ONCE, JUST ONCE

People around the country may not realize just how amazing Seminole defender Kelly Rowland is but ACC coaches know how good the sophomore is and they showed it when they named her an All-ACC second team selection. Rowland was the only defender in the entire conference to garner either All-ACC first or second team and she is the first player in the conference's 18 year history to be the sole defender picked for an All-ACC honor in any given year.  At least two defenders have been named All-ACC every year before Rowland in 2004. Although she wasn't named the ACC's defensive player of the year, she sure seems to be the coaches' pick as the conference's top defender.

SHE'S A KEEPER

Seminole keeper Joy McKenzie was named the ACC's top goalkeeper when the coaches named her the sole goalie on the All-ACC first team. McKenzie is the first FSU keeper to be named All-ACC first team in school history. Melissa Juhl was named All-ACC second team in 1996 and that was the last time an FSU goalkeeper received any recognition from the league's coaches. The senior is 11-5-2 with a 1.17 GAA and five shutouts. McKenzie know owns the two lowest single season GAA's in program history, two of the top four single seasons as far as shutouts go and two of the top five seasons for victories as well. The keeper is also just one shutout away from setting an all-time FSU record and a single victory away from taking over first all by herself on the all-time wins list. McKenzie's 1.09 career GAA is also easily the tops in program history and she already has established career ACC records for wins and shutouts.

ITS FRESH TO ME

Two FSU sophomores made a big splash on the 2004 All-ACC squad. India Trotter was named an All-ACC first team selection and Julia Schnugg was named to the second team. Both players were 2003 All-ACC Freshman team members and FSU was the only school to see two players make all-freshman team in 2003 go on to be named All-ACC in 2004. Overall, only three other players who were named to the 2003 All-ACC freshman team went on to make All-ACC in 2004. So two of the five players that accomplished that feat were Seminoles. Trotter and UNC's Heather O'Reilly were the only two players from that list to go from the 2003 All-ACC Freshman team to the 2004 All-ACC first team selection. Leah Gallegos is the only other Seminole to accomplish that remarkable jump and overall, only 11 of 55 players in ACC history have ever accomplished that feat.

ALL-ACC FRESHMAN TO ALL-ACC 1^ST Team

Lindsay Browne (Clemson)

Thora Helgadottir (Duke)

Casey McCluskey (Duke)

Allison Graham (Clemson)

Leah Gallegos (FSU)

Lindsay Tarpley (UNC)

Lori Chalupny (UNC)

Kelly Hammond (UVA)

Sarah Huffman (UVA)

India Trotter (FSU)

Heather O'Reilly (UNC)

2-0 IS THE WORST LEAD?