Mere inches determined the fate of the Miami Hurricanes soccer team (5-8-4) in their season finale as they fell to vaunted rival #6 Florida State (12-2-2), 1-0, on a breezy Halloween night at Cobb Stadium in Coral Gables.
Florida State dominated possession throughout the first half, and the Seminoles were able to get a couple of quality looks during the period. First, in the 16th minute, Marianyela Jimenez fired a shot across the middle which was saved by goalkeeper Claireese Foley for the Hurricanes. Seven minutes later, an astute shot came off the foot of Solai Washington for the Seminoles but Foley was able to make a miraculous save at the last minute to keep the game knotted at 0-0.
A first half attempt from deep past the box sailed wide of the goal for Hurricanes star freshman Giovana Canali in the 26th minute. This came off of a counterattack due to a Seminoles turnover, which Miami could not create enough of throughout the game’s duration.
The seemingly never ending possessions for the Seminoles ultimately hurt the Hurricanes in the 41st minute, when Wrianna Hudson took a deflected assist from Camille Ashe and sent the ball into the back of the net. Standing at a height of 6 feet 2 inches, Hudson caused problems for Hurricanes defenders all night as she lurked in the box, waiting to strike.
As Miami went into halftime trailing 1-0, they came out with urgency. Eleven minutes into the half, Canali took a free kick and narrowly missed the net, with the ball clanking off of the crossbar just inches from resulting in the tying goal. This would be the last legitimate scoring opportunity for either team the rest of the way, with Florida State controlling the possession for most of the second half.
It was perhaps not the end that Miami had in sight, but head coach Ken Masuhr spoke to Hurricanes Athletics about the gratitude he had for the season and his players.
“First, I would like to thank all of the seniors and graduate students who have played their final games here at Cobb Stadium. I am disappointed to see the season finish, but am often reminded how far this team has come. I am grateful for the fans and all of our supporters here tonight and while we didn’t get the result, we certainly gave Florida State everything we had.”
It was certainly an impressive feat for Miami to hold the number six team in the country to one goal, especially with their offense being one of the most explosive in the ACC. Miami has built some momentum as they head into next season, where they hope to build into an ACC powerhouse program in the years to come.