The Florida State Seminoles defeated the Miami Hurricanes 18-8 Saturday afternoon in Tallahassee, Florida. The win moves the Seminoles to 2-0 in their young season. Attackman Corey Noonan led the scoring with 5 goals and 2 assists. Seminole Head Coach Bill Harkins was "happy with the victory, but not entirely pleased with the way we played." One thing that did please Harkins was his team’s riding, as the Seminoles generated several first quarter goals directly off of rides en route to a 6-2 lead after the first fifteen minutes. "Riding played a big role in our win today," said Senior Goalie Sean Beckett, "Our whole team rode well today– the attack, the middies, and the defense. Miami had trouble clearing the ball all game long, and that had a big impact on the game. So far this season, our riding has been excellent, and if we can continue to do that, it’s going to make a big difference for us this year." Robert Lee (1g), Parker Soule (1g) and attackman Nick Calabro (1g) scored their first goals of the season during the opening quarter. The goals by freshmen Calabro and Soule were the first goals of their careers as Seminoles. Florida State outscored the Hurricanes 6-1 during the second quarter, and took a 12-3 lead into the half. Noonan scored 3 goals during the second quarter alone, while also adding an assist on midfielder Alex Pettit’s (2g, 1a) first goal as a Seminole. "I was excited to get my first goal," said Pettit, "but it was more important to get a win over our rival Miami." Freshman midfielder Jon Yates (2g) scored twice in the third quarter, and the Seminoles took a 16-5 lead into the game’s final fifteen minutes. During the fourth quarter, freshman midfielder Craig Richards (1g) scored his first goal as a Seminole. Junior Stephen Heiman tallied 2 saves during the first half as he anchored the Seminole defense to start the game. Junior goalie Sean Beckett allowed just 3 goals while making 6 saves in the second half for the Noles. "I was seeing the ball really well once I got past those first few shots," said the Senior Captain, "but I gave up 2 pretty quickly so I wish I could have started a little better. I gave up 3 (goals) myself, but we’ll get things together and get those goals against down." Longstick midfielder Sergio Episcopo played well for the Seminoles, as he contributed several takeaways while gathering up three groundballs. Freshman attackman Tyler Richey added two goals and an assist, and was a key component of the Seminole rides that led to so many goals. Without Brian Lombard and Dave Siegel, freshman faceoff specialist Dennis McSweeney played a big role for the Noles, and he helped the Seminoles to an 18-10 advantage on faceoffs. The Seminoles were unable to duplicate their 21-1 victory from the 2007 season, due mostly to an improved Hurricane side. "Miami sure has improved a lot in just one season," noted Harkins. Offensively, attackman Keith Ryan scored three goals for the Hurricanes. On the defensive end, Andrew Palermo collected 5 groundballs, and added a goal for the Hurricanes on the offensive end. In the goal, Tim Heacocie made 18 saves on the day. Florida State will look to improve their performance as they prepare for their first games away from home next weekend against South Carolina and Clemson. "We need to work a little bit harder and get a little bit better," said Harkins, "and we’ll have to tighten up defensively." The Seminoles will face South Carolina at 1 p.m. on Saturday in Columbia, and then travel to Clemson to face the Tigers at 1 p.m. on Sunday. GAME STATISTICS Score by Period 1 2 3 4 TOTAL ————————————————- FSU…………………. 6 6 4 1 – 18 Miami………………. 2 1 2 3 – 8 FSU SCORING: GOALS: Noonan 5, Pettit 2, Richey 2, Yates 2, Jankowski 1, Geppert 1, Lee 1, Calabro 1, Soule 1, Supraner 1, Richards 1. ASSISTS: Jankowski 3, Noonan 2, Pettit 1, Richey 1, Geppert 1. Miami SCORING: GOALS: Ryan 3, Sharpless 1, Palermo 1, Fitzgerald 1, DeMarzo 1, McClure 1. ASSISTS: Petrucelli 1. Shots by Period 1 2 3 4 TOTAL ————————————————— FSU………………… 10 6 15 6 – 59 Miami………………. 2 5 3 6 – 16 Ground Balls by Period 1 2 3 4 TOTAL ———————————————————- FSU………………………… 10 6 15 6 – 36 Miami……………………… 7 8 3 7 – 25 Faceoffs by Period 1 2 3 4 TOTAL ————————————————– FSU…………………….. 4 5 5 4 – 18 Miami………………….. 5 2 2 1 – 10 Saves, Goals Against ———————————— FSU: Heiman 2, 3; Beckett 6, 3; Proudfoot 0, 2. Miami: Heacocie 18, 18 Extra Man Opportunities —————————- FSU: 2 for 6 Miami: 1 for 3