TALLAHASSEE – A milestone arrived on a chilly afternoon in Ohio.
Florida State women’s lacrosse didn’t just win on the road for the first time in program history. The Seminoles tore the door off its hinges.
A 14-5 dismantling of Kent State at Dix Stadium delivered that elusive first away victory, and it came with records tumbling behind a ruthless, free-flowing attack.
Kenny and Harrell headline a record day
This was Meg Kenny’s game from the opening whistle.
The sophomore attacker tied the program record with six points and matched the single-game mark with five goals, her first career five-goal outing and already her seventh multi-goal performance of the season. Every time Kent State looked like it might settle, Kenny ripped the momentum away.
Right beside her, freshman attacker Summer Harrell played the perfect foil. She also tied the school record with six points, dealing a career-high four assists to go with two goals. Only one other Seminole has hit four assists in a game this season; Harrell did it while orchestrating the entire offense like a veteran.
Lydia Ward added another layer to the onslaught. The sophomore midfielder posted four points with two goals and two assists, logging her team-leading third multi-assist game of the year. When Kenny finished, Ward often started it. When Harrell drew the defense, Ward slipped into the gaps.
By the final horn, the stat sheet looked like a program snapshot of where Florida State wants to go.
A blistering start that never really slowed
The Seminoles needed just 46 seconds to signal their intent.
Harrell found freshman attacker Amelia Brite for the fastest goal of the season, and Kent State never truly recovered from the shock. Kenny then struck for her first, assisted by Ward, before Ward herself drove in another less than a minute later off a feed from Kenny.
The pressure kept coming. Junior attacker Faith Wooters spotted junior midfielder Alyssa Deacy cutting through the middle and hit her in stride for 4-0. Kenny followed with her second to cap a ferocious 5-0 burst inside the opening 6:45.
Kent State finally stemmed the tide through two goals from Crumpton to close the first quarter at 5-2, but the damage was done. Florida State had seized control of the game, and it never let go.
Deacy opened the second quarter with her second of the afternoon, again underlining the depth of the Seminoles’ scoring. After a rare six-minute lull, Kenny completed her first-half hat trick for 7-2. Harrell then added a goal off an assist from freshman Brynn Perkins, before Kent State’s Lundeen pulled one back late to send FSU into the break up 8-3.
Defense locks in, offense keeps rolling
If the first half showcased the firepower, the second half underlined the balance.
Ward wasted little time after halftime, driving from the 8-meter arc straight to the crease for a statement goal less than two minutes into the third. Kent State’s Bond answered off a feed from Haddow, but that would be the hosts’ only goal of the quarter.
The Seminoles responded with composure and precision. Kenny buried her fourth from another Harrell assist, and Harrell then finished one of her own off a pass from Schaefer to stretch the margin to 11-4 heading into the fourth.
Behind that surge stood a defense that quietly strangled any Kent State comeback hopes.
Senior defender Superia Clark turned in the best performance of her career, posting personal highs in both caused turnovers (4) and ground balls (5). She now leads the team with 23 caused turnovers on the season, the kind of disruptive presence that tilts a field and a game.
Wooters did her part in the middle of the park, matching her career high with eight draw controls. Every extra possession she secured felt like another nail in Kent State’s resistance.
Records fall as Seminoles finish the job
The fourth quarter became a victory lap with an edge.
Kenny completed her five-goal masterpiece early in the frame, again set up by Harrell’s fourth assist. Freshman Emily Barnett stepped up and buried a free-position chance, and Perkins added an unassisted strike to push the lead to 14-4 before Kent State’s Halli closed the scoring.
Seven different Seminoles found the back of the net: Kenny, Harrell, Ward, Deacy, Brite, Barnett, and Perkins. Deacy recorded her third two-goal game of the year, another reminder that this attack can hurt opponents from every angle.
As a group, Florida State rewrote portions of its record book. The Seminoles set single-game highs in assists (10), shots on goal (30), and clears (25). The ball moved, the shots rained in, and the clears turned defense into instant offense.
For a program still carving out its identity, this wasn’t just a win. It was a blueprint.
Florida State now gets a week to breathe before closing the regular season at home against No. 11 Clemson on Thursday, April 16, at 2 p.m. at the Seminole Lacrosse Complex — a first-ever road win and a record-breaking performance in their pocket, and a nationally ranked powerhouse up next.
How far can a day like this carry them?
