Seminoles Reach 500 Wins as Florida State Edge Duke 2-1

Florida State wrote a new page in its history book on Thursday night, beating Duke 2-1 at the Seminole Soccer Complex to claim the 500th win in program history. The Seminoles struck twice inside the opening quarter of an hour and then held on through a goalless second half to bank a result that keeps their postseason hopes alive. Shaniel Buckley opened the scoring in the 10th minute, carrying the ball the length of the field before calmly finishing past Duke goalkeeper Mia Vapensky. Barely three minutes later Tanner Strickland doubled the lead, reacting first to a corner and volleying home off a deflection. Duke hit back before the break when Mia Minestrella capitalised on a mix-up between goalkeeper Kate Ockene and a team-mate to roll the ball into an empty net for her 16th goal of the season, but the visitors could not find a second. The win lifts Florida State to 8-2-3 and into eighth place in the ACC, level on points with Miami, who they visit on Sunday, and one point behind sixth-placed Louisville. Only the top six reach the ACC tournament, so Sunday's trip to Coral Gables now carries real weight. For a program celebrating win number 500, the timing could hardly be better — but the job of reaching the postseason is still unfinished.