By james art 
FSU head football coach Brian Pensky talks about 2-1 ACC Tournament win over Notre Dame
FSU head football coach Brian Pensky talks about 2-1 ACC Tournament win over Notre Dame
Florida State soccer advanced to the ACC Tournament semifinals with a 1-0 victory over Notre Dame on Sunday night.
The win sets up a rematch with No. 3 Wake Forest, which beat FSU 4-1 earlier this season to hand the No. 6 Seminoles (13-2-2) their first loss of the season.
“We’re all human, we were embarrassed. Wake was coming for us, they’re a phenomenal team,” FSU head coach Brian Pensky said. “It is a difficult task because they are a senior leading team, 19 senior players, good attacking players and so organized at the back. However, our team will be excited to play.”
The Seminoles scored in the first two minutes when senior midfielder Marianiella Jimenez guided a shot into the upper left corner of the net. Despite 10 shots in the first half, with three on goal, FSU was unable to double the lead.
FSU narrowly avoided a tie late in the first half when Notre Dame drove the ball into the net, but the shot was taken too late as time expired before the shot, negating the goal.
The second half was much more competitive as Notre Dame fought back, nearly tying the score twice before FSU’s second goal. The Seminoles had the ball cleared out of the Fighting Irish penalty area, but it fell to the feet of Sophia Nguyen, who smashed her foot through the ball and sent her shot into the bottom left corner.
Notre Dame responded with a goal in the 82nd minute to make for a nervy final few minutes for the Seminoles. Despite some tense moments, FSU held on for the 2-1 win.
It was a fierce battle between the two sides as 21 fouls were called. Members of the coaching staff of both teams received yellow cards during the contest, joining five players who should be booked.
FSU will play Wake Forest on Thursday, Nov. 7, in the ACC Tournament semifinals in Cary, North Carolina. The start time from WakeMed Soccer Park has not yet been announced.
The winner of this game will play the winner of the No. 1 Duke vs. No. 8 North Carolina on Sunday, Nov. 10, in the ACC Championship Game.
ACC Tournament bracket
Quarterfinals
FSU 2, Notre Dame 1, North Carolina 2, Virginia Tech 0
Semifinals
#1 Duke vs. #8 North Carolina, No. 3 Wake Forest vs. No. 6 FSU
Liam Rooney covers Florida State athletics for the Tallahassee Democrat. Contact him by email at [email protected] or on Twitter @__liamrooney