Photo by Kendall Bulkiewicz | The Crow’s Nest
By Kendall Bulkiewicz
The University of South Florida Bulls kicked off its season with a blowout 5-0 loss against the
Florida State Seminoles.
During the first period, the Seminoles established early control, consistently applying pressure.
FSU’s Jordynn Dudley was active from the start, taking multiple shots, with one being saved by
USF’s goalkeeper, Leire Herraez Gallach, in the seventh minute.
Florida State’s persistence paid off when midfielder/defender Mimi Van Zanten scored the first
goal, assisted by Taylor Huff, putting the Seminoles ahead 1-0.
“We had a plan, and I thought the team did a great job executing it, especially in the first half,”
Brown said.
Shortly before the first period ended, Dudley scored again, doubling FSU’s lead to 2-0. The
Bulls had a few chances, including a shot by Serita Thurton that was saved by FSU’s
goalkeeper Addie Todd but ended the period trailing 2-0.
In the second half, the Seminoles continued their relentless assault, quickly asserting
dominance. Just 57 seconds into the half, Dudley launched a shot that narrowly missed the
mark, setting the tone for an aggressive period. Moments later, Giana Riley capitalized on a
well-placed assist from Huff to notch FSU’s third goal.
The Bulls struggled to regain their footing, and another goal quickly followed as Marianyela
Jimenez found the back of the net in the 53rd minute, with contributions from Dudley and Huff.
The Bulls attempted to respond, with Sarah Brunner firing a shot wide left and Gentiana Fetaj’s
effort being skillfully saved by Todd, but USF couldn’t break through the Seminoles’ defense.
FSU continued to apply pressure, with Taylor Suarez scoring the Seminoles’ fifth goal, assisted
by Ran Iwai, putting the game out of reach for the Bulls.
“I know it’s hard to take positives away when somebody says, ‘Oh, you lost five-nothing,’ but
there’s a lot of positives for me in regards to what we were able to do… We just have to be
better defensively and not make mistakes,” said coach Chris Brown.
Even as the match neared its conclusion, the Seminoles showed no signs of slowing down.
Several attempts were made on goal, with FSU players continuously testing USF’s goalkeeper
Logan McGruder, who made multiple saves to prevent the scoreline from worsening.
However, the Bulls’ frustrations boiled over, leading to yellow cards being issued to players from
both teams, including Ashlyn Puerta and Mimi Van Zanten from FSU and Kat Burnell from USF.
Despite the defeat, the Bulls are gearing up to regroup and take on Southern University
“I think we’re going to be an exciting team… The fans will see an organized group that has
some real skill and flair to it. We’re always striving to be in that upper echelon of teams in the
nation,” concluded Brown.
