Sept. 22, 2009

GREENSBORO, N.C. – Florida State sophomore defender Toni Pressley has been named the Atlantic Coast Conference Women’s Soccer Player of the Week after leading the fifth-ranked Seminoles to a 1-0 overtime win at seventh-ranked rival Florida last Friday night.

A crowd of 3,526 – the fifth-largest in Florida school history and the largest to witness an FSU/UF match in Gainesville – looked on as Pressley scored in the first OT to lift the Seminoles (7-1) to the non-conference win. Pressley put away a loose ball from about 8 yards out following a Seminole throw-in. The Melbourne, Fla., native led the Seminoles with three shots on the evening as all three shots were fired on goal.

Pressley, who earned a spot on the Soccer America National Team of the Week, also led a Seminole defense that limited the Gators to just two shots on goal in 93 minutes of action. The shutout was the fifth of the season for the Seminoles in eight games. The win also marked the second victory over a top 10-opponent this year (Penn State 2-1, Florida 1-0). The golden goal was FSU’s first on the road since Sept. 1, 2006 when, the Seminoles defeated Arizona State, 1-0.

After posting a .758 winning percentage vs. non-conference opposition, ACC teams will now focus their attention on league play. Five games highlight Thursday night’s schedule, including a Top-10 showdown between sixth-ranked Florida State and ninth-ranked Maryland in Tallahassee. A rivalry showdown between Duke and second-ranked North Carolina is also on tap in Chapel Hill, and third-ranked Boston College visits Miami. Virginia travels to NC State, while Virginia Tech plays host to Clemson.

Wake Forest has an open date Thursday while focusing on Sunday’s 5 p.m. game at North Carolina that will be broadcast live nationally on the Fox Soccer Channel. Boston College visits Florida State in another Sunday battle of ranked teams.

Four ACC teams remain ranked among the top 10 in the latest Soccer America poll (UNC at No. 2, Boston College at No. 3, Florida State at No. 6 and Maryland at No. 9), while Virginia is ranked 15th and Wake Forest 17th.

The Soccer Times Coaches Poll still ranks five ACC teams among its top 10 in No. 2 North Carolina, No. 5 Florida State, No. 6 Boston College, No. 8 Virginia and No. 9 Wake Forest. Maryland cracked the Soccer Times poll this week at No. 19.