Undefeated rivals Florida State soccer, Florida battle on the pitch Sunday

Florida State soccer, approaching the end of non-conference play, is on a roll.

Only allowing two goals over four games, the Seminoles are undefeated and stand as the No. 2 team in the country, nearing the end of non-conference play. They're coming off a 4-0 victory over North Florida on the road, a team that pushed them defensively.

"They [UNF] gave us a little bit of a different look in terms of sitting in and being very defensive-minded," FSU head coach Brian Pensky said. "Florida will come out and play us a little bit more as opposed to being so defensive."

"It [UNF] did allow us to work on our shape and moving the ball side to side quickly and hopefully open up pockets higher up."

Leading by example, growing younger talent

Facing Florida on Sunday, the Seminoles have been led off by their two World Cup stars: Jody Brown and Onyi Echegini. Since their return to Tallahassee from down under, the pair has been extremely productive as they've combined for 14 points over four games.

Echegini leads the scoring effort with four goals and one assist while Brown follows closely with two goals and one assist. Pensky said that while both are quieter players, they've begun to lead by example on the field. He's slowly beginning to see them step out of their comfort zone and step up as team leaders.

"It's pretty quiet leadership," Pensky said. "On the field there, they're not really vocal players, but their actions speak loudly. Jody is getting a little bit more comfortable organizing and communicating."

"I've said for a long time that Jody's soccer brain is really phenomenal. There was a moment, on video, where she was organizing Jordynn Dudley. That organization, while seemingly little led to a chance for our team."

Speaking of Dudley, the freshman has burst on the college stage as one of FSU's offensive weapons. Against USF, she had two goals and nearly a third. On Thursday against UNF she had a pair of assists, bringing her season point total up to six in four games.

Despite her age, Pensky and his staff expected her to have an immediate impact, and she has not disappointed. Pensky also complimented the efforts of other freshmen Amelia Van Zanten and Maggie Taitano, both of whom have given FSU substantial minutes since their arrival.

Heating up the competition

Sunday begins a challenging stretch for the Seminoles. In addition to hosting rival Florida, they open up conference play at No. 9 Clemson on Friday. They are on the road for two more matchups against Syracuse (September 21) and No. 3 North Carolina (September 24) before coming back home on September 9 against Miami.

Pensky said that he's looking for his team to keep things simple and play a clean game heading into ACC play.

As for the opponent on Sunday, Pensky understands what a win over Florida means to the FSU faithful. The Seminoles hold a five-game win streak over the Gators dating back to 2017.

Florida comes into Tallahassee defending an undefeated streak of its own, sitting at 4-0-2 and coming off a 1-0 win over Charlotte.

"The Florida/Florida State rivalry is pretty deep, and some around here might say, that beating Florida is more important than how you do in the ACC," Pensky said. "It's a big game. You ask people in town, it's a date that everybody circles on their calendar, and it's in every sport."

"It's a big rivalry and our last non-conference opportunity to get a result and then continue to get better. We want to continue to build our confidence as we head into Clemson next week."

GAME INFORMATION

Who: Florida (4-0-2) at No. 2 FSU (4-0-0)

When/where: Sunday, 3:30 p.m.; Seminole Soccer Complex, Tallahassee, Fla.

TV: ACC NETWORK

Jack Williams covers Florida State athletics for Tallahassee Democrat. Contact him via email at jwilliams@tallahassee.com or on Twitter @jackgwilliams.

This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Florida State soccer looks to bump undefeated run to five games against Florida