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SOC: Dawgs Visit No. 1 FSU

Date: Thursday, Aug. 29

Time: 7 p.m. EDT

Location: Tallahassee, Fla.

Site: Seminole Soccer Complex (2,000)

Stream: ACC Network Extra (Ariya Massoudi, PxP / Trevor DeGroot, Analyst)

Live Stats: StatBroadcast

INSIDE THE SERIES

Overall: Florida State leads 3-2-0

In Athens: Georgia leads 2-1-0

In Tallahassee: Florida State leads 2-0-0

Last Meeting: Florida State – W, 3-1 (Aug. 21, 2022 – Athens, Ga.)

Current Streak: L3

GF / GA: 8 / 10

Tallahassee Test

No. 24 Georgia, ranked No. 8 in Top Drawer Soccer’s rankings, begins a Sunshine State road trip against top-ranked and defending NCAA champion Florida State Thursday in Tallahassee. The Seminoles are the third top-10 ACC opponent this season for the Bulldogs, following previous contests against No. 7 Pitt and No. 5 North Carolina. FSU carries a 25-match unbeaten streak (24 wins, one tie) into the match, with their last defeat coming in the 2022 College Cup semifinals against North Carolina. Through three matches, Florida State has outscored its opponents, 18-0, and has only allowed 12 shots with four on frame.

Thursday’s match is the sixth all-time meeting between Georgia and Florida State. The Bulldogs prevailed in the first two meetings in Athens (1995, 1998), followed by consecutive wins by the Seminoles in Tallahassee (1999, 2004) and a 3-1 victory in Athens in 2022. Georgia is looking for its first-ever victory over a top-ranked team, having fallen in its first four attempts. This is also the third-consecutive season in which the Bulldogs have challenged both the No. 1 and defending national champion team (2022 – FSU, 2023 – UCLA).

Senior Day Shutout

Georgia earned its first victory of the season last Sunday with a dominant 6-0 win over Kennesaw State. Redshirt sophomore midfielder Summer Denigan posted the Bulldogs’ first hat trick since 2018 (16th in program history) with a career-high three goals, while graduate forward Margie Detrizio turned in her fifth career brace, both set up by assists from graduate midfielder Nicole Vernis. Additionally, freshman Sophia Brelage picked up her first career score as she led the team with seven shots, while the Bulldog defense held KSU to only three shots and one corner kick, the second straight opponent to only earn a single corner.

Dawg Bites

• Denigan and Detrizio’s performances marked the first Georgia match with two multi-goal outings since Abby Boyan and Mollie Belisle each posted braces against Wofford on Sept. 5, 2021. Along with Hannah White’s two goals at North Carolina, the Bulldogs notched consecutive braces for the first time since playing Wofford and Presbyterian in the 2021 season.
• Detrizio’s goals came just 56 seconds apart, making it the second-fastest consecutive goals from a single player in program history. Ali Williams beat the feat with two scores 36 seconds apart against Georgia Southern on Aug. 26, 2005.
• Fresh off her first career hat trick, Denigan makes her return to Florida State, where she began her career in 2022 with three appearances, including 43 minutes against Georgia. Senior defender Alyssa Stadeker also started as a Seminole, appearing in five matches during FSU’s 2021 national championship season.
• With Coach McAlpine utilizing a senior-heavy lineup Sunday, sophomore Kiera Staude came off the bench for the first time in her Georgia career, breaking a 25-match starting streak. Fellow defender Cate Hardin now holds the longest consecutive starts streak at 25 herself, followed by goalkeeper Jordan Brown at 18. Elsewhere, senior defender Jessie Dunn is approaching a milestone, standing just two minutes away from eclipsing the 5,000-minute mark.
• Assistant coach Rade Tanaskovic is away from the team for the next three weeks as he serves on staff for the United States at the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup in Colombia. Tanaskovic is joined on the roster by four players from Florida State. In his absence, director of recruiting and player development Sammy Towne has been elevated to assistant coach.

Championship Pedigree

Both Georgia head coach Keidane McAlpine and Florida State head coach Brian Pensky carry championship pedigree into Thursday match. During his tenure, McAlpine has faced other title-winning coaches: the recently retired Anson Dorrance at North Carolina in 2022 and Margueritte Aozasa at UCLA in 2023. The feat was slated to be repeated two weeks ago, but Pitt head coach Randy Waldrum (2004, 2010) did not coach in Athens due to personal matters.

Strong Slate as Always

Throughout his early tenure in Athens, Keidane McAlpine has made it a point to challenge his team with a difficult non-conference schedule. Last season, matches against UCLA, Clemson, and UCF helped Georgia finish No. 7 in the NCAA RPI and earn a top-four seed in the NCAA Tournament. This year’s schedule is no different with the slate currently ranking third nationally in strength behind opponents Florida State and North Carolina. In 2023, the Bulldogs were the only Power 5 school to play a team from each of the other four leagues. This season, they are one of five with the distinction, joining Texas, Iowa, Michigan, and Baylor. The Bulldogs and Hawkeyes are the only two P4 institutions to face each of the other Power conferences, as well as take on a remaining Pac-12 school (Georgia – Washington State, Iowa – Oregon State).

Up Next

No. 24 Georgia continues its road trip with a contest against UCF on Sunday, Sept. 1 at 6 p.m. in Orlando on ESPN+. Last season, the Bulldogs shocked the Knights, 2-1, with two goals in the final eight minutes of play, including a Hannah White winner in the 90th minute.

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