Seminoles post third straight shut out in NCAA Tournament
By Official Florida FC
Who else but Jaelin Howell?
Florida State needed someone to put the ball in the back of the net in its NCAA semifinal on Friday night. The answer was the All-American midfielder who has made plays large and small since she stepped on campus.
Howell’s opportunistic finish in the 71st minute lifted the Seminoles to a 1-0 win over Rutgers at Stevens Stadium in Santa Clara, California. Florida State (21-1-2) is in the NCAA final for the second straight year and the third time in the last four years.
Howell assisted the game-winning goals in victories over Pepperdine in the Round of 16 and over Michigan in the NCAA Quarterfinals. The senior picked an opportune time to score her third goal of the season.
Florida State sophomore keeper Cristina Roque made a double save in the 77th minute to keep Rutgers (19-4-2) from equalizing. Roque made four saves en route to her third consecutive clean sheet in the NCAA tournament.
The Seminoles will try to win their third national championship against BYU on Monday night at 8 p.m. EST. The fourth-seeded Cougars (18-4-1) beat reigning national champion Santa Clara in penalty kickshttps://twitter.com/NCAASoccer/status/1467000286120185859?s=20 to advance to their first College Cup final.
Featured photo provided by Larry Novey via Florida State Athletics.
