By BRIAN LANDMAN, Times Staff Writer
Published November 2, 2005
TALLAHASSEE - The No. 3-seeded Florida State women's soccer team opens the ACC Tournament today in Cary, N.C. against a team it beat five days ago, No. 6-seeded Clemson.
"It's hard for them; it's hard for us," said FSU coach Mark Krikorian, in his first year here and the ACC coach of the year. "We've all been in the sport long enough to know that if you play the same team twice in a week, you can get quite different results. We'll have to make sure we're prepared, focused and ready to go out and compete."
The Seminoles (16-2-0), who have won a school record eight straight, are playing for more than a shot at their first ACC title. A strong showing might mean a Top 8 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
If FSU beats Clemson (9-7-2), it faces No. 2-seeded Virginia or No. 7 Wake Forest; Virginia beat visiting FSU 1-0 on Sept. 29, FSU's last loss. North Carolina is the top seed. Play continues through Sunday.
"There's always that concern," Krikorian said of looking ahead to a rematch with Virginia. "While we have a young team, it's a relatively mature team. We have enough kids who have played in enough big games so we're grounded and our players are able to keep their focus and prepare for one game at a time."
