Trojans, Seminoles vie for title

COLLEGE STATION, Texas – Outshot and outplayed in the semifinals, Florida State and Southern California found a way to advance to the NCAA Women’s College Cup.

Now they’re looking for a way to play better in today’s championship.

“If we do the things we should and take care of the small details, our group will be satisfied in the end,” Florida State coach Mark Krikorian said.

The Seminoles (18-5-3) beat Notre Dame 3-2 on Friday, and the Trojans (19-3-2) upset top-ranked UCLA 2-1. The Irish outshot Florida State 16-7 and controlled the ball most of the game. The Bruins outshot USC 19-8 and blew a 1-0 lead in the final 25 minutes.

“I know he (Krikorian) wasn’t really happy with the way they played yesterday. I wasn’t happy with the way we played,” USC coach Ali Khosroshahin said. “But I think we’ll both take the result over how we played.”

The title game has two first-time participants for the first time since North Carolina beat Central Florida 2-0 to win the inaugural championship in 1982.

The Trojans had never advanced past the second round before this year and Khosroshahin knew he had to alter the culture when athletic director Mike Garrett hired him last December. He moved the bench to the other side of the field and shook up the lineup, benching many veterans early in the season.

“We had to change a lot of things,” Khosroshahin said. “The discipline was the first thing. Our work ethic was the second thing. The last was our attitude, our attitude of making soccer the highlight of our day.”

Khosroshahin also ordered plenty of running during practice, and the players initially resisted. But the Trojans learned to trust their new coach and have won eight of their last nine, including shutouts in their first four NCAA tournament games.

“It was a lot different than years in the past,” junior midfielder Ashley Nick said. “It was a lot better and I’ve just been having a lot more fun. It’s paying off, all of the changes.”