Florida State University Athletics
Thursday, August 13
DeLand, Fla.
7:00 PM
Florida State
at
Stetson
No. 4 FSU Begins Title Defense Thursday at Stetson
8/12/2026 12:18:00 PM | Women's Soccer
TALLAHASSEE – The defending national-champion Florida State soccer team begins the 2026 regular season at Stetson on Thursday, August 13, in DeLand, Florida.
Kickoff is at 7 p.m. ET at Stetson's Athletic Training Center.
The game will be streamed live on ESPN+, and live stats can be found at Stetson.Statbroadcast.com. Direct links to watch and follow along are available on the schedule page at Seminoles.com/Soccer and on social media on Twitter/X and Facebook (@FSUSoccer) & Instagram (@NoleSoccer).
The 2026 season will be the 32nd for the five-time national-champion Seminoles. In head coach Brian Pensky's first four seasons, FSU won two NCAA titles, in 2023 and 2025, and also reached the College Cup in 2022, his first season. Along with its two championships, Florida State also leads the country with an .854 win percentage and is second with 70 wins since Pensky arrived in Tallahassee ahead of the 2022 campaign.
FSU went 16-2-4 in 2025 and finished the year on a 10-game unbeaten streak, a stretch that included an 18-3 scoring margin in the last eight games. The Seminoles were 8-1-2 at home, 5-1-2 on the road, 3-0-0 at a neutral site and 5-2-1 against top-25 opponents. Florida State finished fourth in the ACC with a 6-2-2 record.
Four of 11 starters return in 2026, while six of the seven departing starters now play professionally in the NWSL. The incoming class of Seminoles, 16 in total, is ranked No. 1 in the country by Top Drawer Soccer. It's the third year in a row that FSU has the top-rated class of newcomers. The 16 newest players feature five freshman and 11 transfers.
Florida State begins the 2026 season on a 33-game unbeaten streak in regular-season non-conference games. A 4-0-1 mark in 2025 continued a stretch that started in the middle of the 2019 non-conference season.
PRESEASON HONORS
The Seminoles have earned several conference and national preseason honors leading into the 2026 season. The recognition began with Preseason All-ACC distinction for junior forward Wrianna Hudson, junior defender Janet Okeke and sophomore midfielder Nyanya Touray.
Four were named Missouri Athletic Club Hermann Trophy Players to Watch by the IWSOC/United Soccer Coaches. Hudson, Touray and senior midfielder Ashley Henderson are on the Forwards to Watch list and junior midfielder Sam Erbach is tabbed a Midfielder to Watch.
Top Drawer Soccer bestowed Preseason Best XI honors to three players, with Erbach a First Team midfielder and Hudson and Okeke on the Second Team, forward and defender, respectively. Additionally, Top Drawer Soccer named six to its Preseason Top 100, with Florida State the only team with three in the top 19. Erbach is No. 3 overall, Hudson No. 14 and Okeke No. 19. Henderson is selected No. 50, senior forward Nyah Rose is No. 58 and Touray is No. 80.
NATIONALLY-RANKED SEMINOLES
Florida State begins the campaign ranked No. 4 in the United Soccer Coaches Preseason poll, while Top Drawer Soccer has FSU No. 1. The ACC took the top four spots in the national coaches' rankings. The Seminoles are in the top-10 in the preseason coaches' poll for the 20th time in the last 21 seasons. The ACC Coaches Poll also tabbed FSU at No. 4.
SERIES HISTORY VS. STETSON
Florida State is 9-0-0 all-time against Stetson, including 6-0-0 at home and 3-0-0 on the road. Eight of the nine matchups have been FSU shutouts, with a 3-0 win in 1997 to begin the series in Tallahassee and a 7-0 home victory last season. The only goal conceded was in a 2-1 win in 2006 at the Seminole Soccer Complex. The 2025 matchup was the first in the in-state series since 2014, also a 7-0 triumph to originally set the largest margin of victory in the series. In DeLand, the Seminoles own 4-0 wins in 1998 and 1999 and a 3-0 victory in 2009, the last road game before Thursday night.
One year ago, on September 4, 2025, Florida State scored a season-high seven goals, including five in the second half, in a 7-0 victory over Stetson in Tallahassee. Six players scored a goal and six registered an assist in the victory as 23 players appeared in the game, all but two for at least 19 minutes. The Seminoles out-shot the Hatters 26-1, including 21-1 in the second half, and the home side had a 13-1 advantage in shots on target. FSU had all six corner kicks in the match. Nawreen Ahmad scored twice, the first two goals of her career. A complete recap from the win can be found here.
SCOUTING THE HATTERS
Stetson was 5-14 in 2025 with a 2-3 record in the ASUN. The Hatters were picked to finish seventh in the ASUN Preseason Coaches' Poll. Fifteen players return from last year with 12 newcomers. Junior forward Stella Comana earned Preseason All-ASUN accolades.
UP NEXT: HEADING SOUTH
Florida State continues its season-opening roadtrip at FIU on Sunday, August 16. Kickoff in Miami is slated for 6 p.m. ET.
QUICK KICKS: NOTES TO KNOW
For more information on Florida State soccer, check Seminoles.com for the latest news and scheduling information, and keep up with the team on social media through Twitter/X and Facebook (@FSUSoccer) & Instagram (@NoleSoccer).
Kickoff is at 7 p.m. ET at Stetson's Athletic Training Center.
The game will be streamed live on ESPN+, and live stats can be found at Stetson.Statbroadcast.com. Direct links to watch and follow along are available on the schedule page at Seminoles.com/Soccer and on social media on Twitter/X and Facebook (@FSUSoccer) & Instagram (@NoleSoccer).
The 2026 season will be the 32nd for the five-time national-champion Seminoles. In head coach Brian Pensky's first four seasons, FSU won two NCAA titles, in 2023 and 2025, and also reached the College Cup in 2022, his first season. Along with its two championships, Florida State also leads the country with an .854 win percentage and is second with 70 wins since Pensky arrived in Tallahassee ahead of the 2022 campaign.
FSU went 16-2-4 in 2025 and finished the year on a 10-game unbeaten streak, a stretch that included an 18-3 scoring margin in the last eight games. The Seminoles were 8-1-2 at home, 5-1-2 on the road, 3-0-0 at a neutral site and 5-2-1 against top-25 opponents. Florida State finished fourth in the ACC with a 6-2-2 record.
Four of 11 starters return in 2026, while six of the seven departing starters now play professionally in the NWSL. The incoming class of Seminoles, 16 in total, is ranked No. 1 in the country by Top Drawer Soccer. It's the third year in a row that FSU has the top-rated class of newcomers. The 16 newest players feature five freshman and 11 transfers.
Florida State begins the 2026 season on a 33-game unbeaten streak in regular-season non-conference games. A 4-0-1 mark in 2025 continued a stretch that started in the middle of the 2019 non-conference season.
PRESEASON HONORS
The Seminoles have earned several conference and national preseason honors leading into the 2026 season. The recognition began with Preseason All-ACC distinction for junior forward Wrianna Hudson, junior defender Janet Okeke and sophomore midfielder Nyanya Touray.
Four were named Missouri Athletic Club Hermann Trophy Players to Watch by the IWSOC/United Soccer Coaches. Hudson, Touray and senior midfielder Ashley Henderson are on the Forwards to Watch list and junior midfielder Sam Erbach is tabbed a Midfielder to Watch.
Top Drawer Soccer bestowed Preseason Best XI honors to three players, with Erbach a First Team midfielder and Hudson and Okeke on the Second Team, forward and defender, respectively. Additionally, Top Drawer Soccer named six to its Preseason Top 100, with Florida State the only team with three in the top 19. Erbach is No. 3 overall, Hudson No. 14 and Okeke No. 19. Henderson is selected No. 50, senior forward Nyah Rose is No. 58 and Touray is No. 80.
NATIONALLY-RANKED SEMINOLES
Florida State begins the campaign ranked No. 4 in the United Soccer Coaches Preseason poll, while Top Drawer Soccer has FSU No. 1. The ACC took the top four spots in the national coaches' rankings. The Seminoles are in the top-10 in the preseason coaches' poll for the 20th time in the last 21 seasons. The ACC Coaches Poll also tabbed FSU at No. 4.
SERIES HISTORY VS. STETSON
Florida State is 9-0-0 all-time against Stetson, including 6-0-0 at home and 3-0-0 on the road. Eight of the nine matchups have been FSU shutouts, with a 3-0 win in 1997 to begin the series in Tallahassee and a 7-0 home victory last season. The only goal conceded was in a 2-1 win in 2006 at the Seminole Soccer Complex. The 2025 matchup was the first in the in-state series since 2014, also a 7-0 triumph to originally set the largest margin of victory in the series. In DeLand, the Seminoles own 4-0 wins in 1998 and 1999 and a 3-0 victory in 2009, the last road game before Thursday night.
One year ago, on September 4, 2025, Florida State scored a season-high seven goals, including five in the second half, in a 7-0 victory over Stetson in Tallahassee. Six players scored a goal and six registered an assist in the victory as 23 players appeared in the game, all but two for at least 19 minutes. The Seminoles out-shot the Hatters 26-1, including 21-1 in the second half, and the home side had a 13-1 advantage in shots on target. FSU had all six corner kicks in the match. Nawreen Ahmad scored twice, the first two goals of her career. A complete recap from the win can be found here.
SCOUTING THE HATTERS
Stetson was 5-14 in 2025 with a 2-3 record in the ASUN. The Hatters were picked to finish seventh in the ASUN Preseason Coaches' Poll. Fifteen players return from last year with 12 newcomers. Junior forward Stella Comana earned Preseason All-ASUN accolades.
UP NEXT: HEADING SOUTH
Florida State continues its season-opening roadtrip at FIU on Sunday, August 16. Kickoff in Miami is slated for 6 p.m. ET.
QUICK KICKS: NOTES TO KNOW
- Florida State is in its 32nd season in 2026 and owns a 492-165-62 (.727) overall record since the team's first season in 1995
- Head coach Brian Pensky is in his fifth season at FSU (70-7-12, .854) and his 22nd as a collegiate head coach (255-118-57, .659), and has led the Seminoles to two national championships, in 2023 and 2025, another NCAA College Cup berth in 2022 and five ACC titles, two regular season and three tournament, in his first four seasons with the Seminoles
- FSU leads the country with an .854 win percentage and two NCAA titles, and is second with 70 wins, since the beginning of the 2022 campaign, when Pensky took the helm
- With five national titles and 15 College Cup appearances, Florida State has made 26 total and consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances, every year since 2000, with four College Cups in the last five years and five title-game appearances in the last eight seasons
- The Seminoles are No. 2 all-time in NCAA success, second in Tournament wins (89-19-6), win percentage (.807), national titles (5) and College Cup appearances (15)
- 4 of 11 starters are returning in 2026, with six of the seven departing starters now playing professionally in the NWSL
- FSU's incoming class is ranked No. 1 in the country by Top Drawer Soccer for the third consecutive season, with 16 newcomers (5 freshmen and 11 transfers) on the 2026 roster
- For the 20th time in the last 21 seasons, the Seminoles start the season in the top-10 nationally, as they were voted No. 4 in the United Soccer Coaches Preseason Top-25
- 10 players signed professional contracts after helping FSU to a national title in 2025, eight in the NWSL and two in the Liga MX Femenil
- Florida State finished unbeaten in regular-season non-conference play for a fifth consecutive year in 2025, going 29-0-4 since the middle of the 2019 non-conference season after a 4-0-1 mark in 2025
For more information on Florida State soccer, check Seminoles.com for the latest news and scheduling information, and keep up with the team on social media through Twitter/X and Facebook (@FSUSoccer) & Instagram (@NoleSoccer).
Players Mentioned
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