2021 in Review: Top 5 FSU games of the past year

National Championship Game, December 6th, Women’s Soccer

Yet another story of early-year trials and redemption. Flashback to earlier in the year. The league is still feeling effects from the COVID restrictions in the season.

Players have gone midseason after going pro or serving their countries. The Nole’s came so close but fell to Santa Clara in penalty kicks. After summer, however, they returned a gold medalist and key players as well as gaining top recruits and marquee talent.

Despite the very abbreviated offseason, they were dominant with signature wins against top opponents where they would destroy their rivals and gain the support of almost all fans, but a draw sees them lose out the regular-season ACC title.

They ended up correcting that in the conference tournament and entered the second iteration of the 2021 NCAA tournament as the top overall seed. There they run the gauntlet into the final four, beating out Rutgers in the semi-finals to set up a date in the finals again, as they awaited the results of the other side of the bracket.

There sat the matchup with BYU. It was a great game with chances both ways, but FSU would have spells where they controlled every aspect of the game, and BYU seemed reliant on the counterattack to provide relief. Both goalkeepers played exceptionally well to force the game into overtime, then penalty kicks.

There the game was decided due to more excellence from the goalie and great composure from the penalty kick takers. Yujie Zhao walks it off with the game-winning penalty shot ending a long year in triumph.