Santa Clara upsets FSU to win NCAA Soccer National Championship

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@sfchronicle

No. 11 Santa Clara stunned No. 1 Florida Monday night to clinch the NCAA Women’s College Cup on penalty kicks.

Both teams were neck-and-neck in the opening minutes of play, ending the first half scoreless.

In the second half, the game started to open up. Florida State struck first with a curling ball from Jenna Nighswonger at the top of the box. Her spectacular finish put FSU up 1-0.

Only 20 minutes later, Kelsey Turnbow scored an equalizer for Santa Clara off a missed back pass by FSU. With only seven minutes remaining in regulation, the game was tied at 1-1.

The 1-1 scoreline endured through two overtime periods, sending the championship to PKs.

Santa Clara buried all four penalties, outscoring FSU 4-1 from the line after the Seminoles’ first two shots hit off the post.

The Broncos shootout performance secured the school its second national championship in program history and the first in 20 years.

Santa Claraโ€™s upset is made even more stunning considering the Broncos played just seven regular season games this spring due to COVID-19 restrictions.