A Jessica Price goal in the 39th minute was all Florida State would need to eliminate Auburn on Sunday.

Price took a pass from Seminole teammate Amanda DaCosta, streaked 40 yards down the field and rifled a shot past Auburn goalie Allison Whitworth to give FSU a 1-0 win in the second round of the NCAA Women’s Soccer Championship at the Auburn Soccer Complex.

The Seminoles (16-2-3) will face Boston College next week in the Sweet 16. The host school has yet to be determined.

It was the third time in Auburn’s history it had been eliminated by Florida State in the second round.

Florida State controlled the temp for much of the game, piling up 26 shots and pressuring the Auburn defense, but the Tigers were able to keep the scoring opportunities to a minimum, despite the gaudy numbers.

“Our defense played really well, and our offense did a great job in the second half by keeping the pressure on,” Auburn head coach Karen Hoppa said. “The one goal they got wasn’t a defensive error. It was more of an offensive error.”

Auburn managed nine shots on the game, but continuously pressured the Seminoles in the second half with numerous scoring opportunities.

The best of the bunch came in the 61st minute as midfielder Jenni Prescott rifled a one-timer past FSU goalie Katie Milstead that sailed just wide to the right.

“When I saw that Katy (Frierson) had the ball, she worked so hard to keep that ball,” Prescott said. “I was at an awkward angle when I called for it and she passed it. I one-timed it and shanked it. I thought it might have gone in, but it was a little wide.”

Whitworth set a school postseason record for saves with 12. She stopped four key Florida State chances in the second half, but said she didn’t feel much pressure due to her teammates’ strong defense.

“They kept the shots where we could contain them,” Whitworth said. “We’ve been preparing for a game like this all year.”

Milstead had six saves for Florida State, but didn’t face as many tough shots. Hoppa felt that was the difference in the game.

“Florida State forced Whitworth to come up big a couple of times and we didn’t,” she said. “We actually missed the frame and that’s when we have to do a better job of making the frame”

Florida State coach Mark Krikorian lamented the frantic second half of the game, but was happy to get out of Auburn with a win.

“I’m proud of our kids,” he said. “They did what they had to do. We came on the road and advanced in the tournament. We thought that we had earned the right to play at home to start the tournament.

“It just shows how strong our kids’ character is to come to Auburn twice in one season and come out with two wins.”

Florida State defeated Auburn, 3-0, on Sept. 12 in the Auburn Soccer Classic.

The Tigers finished the season 12-9-2.

“I thought we did a good job this season,” Hoppa said. “The good thing is we’ve come a long way since the start of the season and we’re a much better team now. Our goal was to get to the Sweet 16, and we were just a shot off.”

“We kind of started off a little rough,” Prescott, a junior, said. “We played so well the last few games and had a really good winning streak ... Our goal was to go to the Sweet 16 and we didn’t quite make it, but we have something we can build on.

“And that’s exciting.”

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