Junior midfielder Sam Erbach scored two goals in the final eight minutes as the No. 15 Florida State soccer team rallied to defeat No. 25 Georgia 2-1 on Thursday night at the Turner Soccer Complex in Athens, Georgia.
Facing their first ranked opponent of the season, the Seminoles (4-1-0) trailed 1-0 in the 35th minute until Erbach scored the equalizer in the 83rd minute. A foul in the box sent Erbach to the penalty spot with 16 seconds remaining, and she converted for her first FSU brace and the top-25 road win.
The comeback victory over the Bulldogs (3-2-2) comes as Florida State played its fourth road game in the opening five contests of the season. Thursday’s win followed 10 days off for the Seminoles after the team suffered their first loss of the season (at Florida).
Erbach’s two goals give her three on the season and 32 in her career. It’s the eighth multi-goal game of her three-year collegiate career. She posted a game-high four shots and was one of three Seminoles with two shots on goal on Thursday night.
Sophomore goalkeeper Kate Ockene made three saves while the Bulldog keeper stopped six shots.
UGA had 18 shots to FSU’s 16, though the Seminoles held an 8-4 advantage in shots on goal. Both teams had five corner kicks. Georgia had 13 fouls and three yellow cards and Florida State had six fouls and no cards.
On a hot and rainy evening, the contest was delayed by approximately 40 minutes in the 23rd minute due to lightning in the area.
Florida State improves to 4-2-1 all-time vs. Georgia, including 2-2-0 on the road. FSU is unbeaten against UGA in the last five games in the series.
Senior defender Nyah Rose had the first shot of the game, a chance from distance that was saved in the third minute. Georgia followed a minute later with a shot blocked off a corner kick, and the home side sent a chance high in the 11th minute, again following a corner.
Rose cleared a ball away just in front of the line in the 13th minute, and another block was made three minutes later.
Erbach had an opportunity go just high in the 19th minute from beyond the 18-yard box, and junior forward Wrianna Hudson had her own shot go off target four minutes afterwards.
In the 23rd minute, during a hydration break, lightning resulted in the 40-minute weather delay.
Out of the delay, FSU had several chances early, with a Hudson shot blocked. Ockene then made a nice save, her first of the day in the 29th minute, before Hudson had another shot that was saved.
Georgia scored at 34:55 to take a 1-0 lead.
In the opening 45 minutes, UGA out-shot FSU 9-5, and both teams had two shots on goal. Corners were 3-1 for the Bulldogs. five fouls were called on Georgia to one for Florida State, as the home side was shown three yellow cards.
Junior midfielder Shaneil Buckled had a shot blocked nine minutes into the second half, and Rose and senior midfielder Tanner Strickland both put shots on goal that were saved in the 59th minute. Three minutes later, Erbach had a chance go high.
The Seminole defense blocked a shot off a free kick, and forced the rebound to go high, in the 67th minute to keep it a one-goal game. Ockene made two more fine saves in the 71st and 72nd minutes. Sixty seconds before the tying goal found the back of the net, Strickland had a shot saved to set up a corner kick before freshman forward Ryder Ajeto had a shot that was blocked.
Erbach’s game-tying goal came at 82:47. Buckley delivered a ball into the 18-yard box near the penalty spot, where Hudson played it off her chest amidst traffic. With the ball on the ground and Hudson surrounded closely by two defenders, the ball was tapped away as Erbach approached. She quickly fired a left-footed shot to the right side of the goal to make it 1-1.
Junior forward Anaiyah Robinson had a chance to put the Seminoles ahead in the 86th minute, but another save was made.
With under a minute left, and after a review, a foul was called inside the penalty box that sent Erbach to the penalty spot. At 89:44, she converted to put the Seminoles ahead 2-1.
The visitors outshot the Bulldogs 11-9, with a 6-2 advantage in shots on goal, in the final 45 minutes. Corner kicks were 4-2 for FSU and fouls were 8-5 for UGA.
Coming up
Florida State is home for its next two games at the Seminole Soccer Complex, beginning on Sunday vs. Rice at noon The Sunday matinee is the annual Kids Club Game. Tickets are available now at Seminoles.com/Tickets or by calling the FSU Athletics Ticket Office at 850-644-1830. Admission is free for all FSU students with their FSUID.
Thanks for reading the Osceola. Subscribe now for 40 percent off to enjoy a full year of coverage of FSU athletics. You’ll also earn a $20 gift card at Alumni Hall.
