Florida State Women’s Soccer Begins National Championship Defense

The Florida State women’s soccer team begin their national championship defense on Thursday with a road match against Stetson in DeLand, Florida. Kickoff is at 7 p.m. ET and can be viewed live on ESPN+.

The Seminoles won their fifth national title last season, their second under head coach Brian Pensky. In its first 31 years as a program, only North Carolina (22) has more NCAA championships than Florida State.

The Seminoles went 16-2-4 last season, riding a 10-game unbeaten streak to the title. Their regular season unbeaten streak entering Thursday’s opener currently stands at 33 games. 

Florida State enters the season ranked No. 4 in the United Soccer Coaches Preseason poll, but No. 1 in the ACC by Top Drawer Soccer. The Seminoles return four starters from last year’s team. 

Florida State reloaded with the No. 1 ranked recruiting class in the nation, according to Top Drawer Soccer. A majority of the newcomers are transfers, aimed to replace the six departing seniors who went on to play in the NWSL. 

The Seminoles have played Stetson nine times in their history and won every match. The Haters enter 2026 coming off a 5-14 2025 campaign.