CARY, N.C. (AP) — Freshman Jordynn Dudley and Jody Brown scored 26 seconds apart in the first half and Florida State beat Stanford 5-1 on Monday night for the program’s fourth national championship — all coming since 2014.
Florida State (22-0-1) became the first undefeated champion in over a decade, joining the 2011 Stanford squad that went 23-0. The Seminoles and Cardinal (20-1-4) made history as the first NCAA Division I women’s national championship game pitting two undefeated teams.
Stanford had a 36-match streak of allowing one or fewer goals snapped in its quest for a fourth championship. The Cardinal had allowed just 10 goals all season — with no multiple-score games.
Florida State had just one shot in the first 28 minutes but then scored two goals in the 29th.
Dudley scored her 14th goal of the season on a penalty kick in the 29th after being taken down in the box. Brown ran past the defense for a give-and-go and sent a shot that deflected off the crossbar and landed in the back of the net.
Stanford midfielder Maya Doms ended Florida State’s shutout streak in the 52nd minute. The Seminoles had outscored their six NCAA Tournament opponents 18-0.
But Florida State regained a two-goal advantage six minutes later on a breakaway goal by Beata Olsson. Brown scored her second goal in the 61st on a nice pass from Olsson, and Onyi Echegini knocked in a loose ball in the 84th for her 16th goal of the season.
Florida State, the top scoring offence in the country, has scored a goal in 34 straight games. Stanford entered allowing just 0.42 goals per game this season.
Stanford hadn’t allowed five or more goals in a game since 1996.
SERIES HISTORY
In 2018: A national semifinal matchup saw Florida State win 2-0 to snap Stanford’s 45-match unbeaten streak. The Seminoles went on to claim their second national title. … 2017: Stanford beat Florida State 1-0 in a third-round matchup en route to its second national title. … 2011: Stanford’s historic undefeated season, that ended in its first national title, included a 3-0 victory over Florida State in the semifinals. … 2010: Stanford routed the Seminoles 5-0 in the quarterfinals before the Cardinal dropped the championship to Notre Dame.
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