Even after a quiet first half, the Tar Heels kept the match level at 0-0.
At halftime, Nahas urged his team not to get caught up in the result. He tried to inspire his players for the rest of the match, but it still wasn't enough.
A missed shot from junior forward Olivia Thomas in the 47th highlighted a dominant stretch for UNC but it just couldn't find the back of the net.
All the momentum the Tar Heels had evaporated when Dudley broke the tie in the 59th minute, putting Florida State up 1-0. A looping pass across the box led to a perfectly placed header from Dudley, adding a goal to her performance of constant offensive pressure -- her five shots led all players.
The tough task ahead wasn't a surprise for the Tar Heels. Nahas knew Florida State's depth would eventually test his young squad. The Seminoles played 10 players off the bench compared to UNC's two.
"[Florida State] had three deep in their positions rolling in and out, and we're not the deepest of rosters right now from experience," Nahas said. "And our girls absolutely battled. They met the fight from the beginning of the game to the end of the game."
In the 80th minute, Florida State goalie Addie Todd chased after a ball outside the box. Thomas beat her to it and had a contested chance to tie the game, but the Seminoles cleared.
An exhausted and outmatched North Carolina team ran out of gas as the 90th minute approached, but Nahas didn't need film or time to evaluate his team's performance.
"There's no searching for an answer today," Nahas said. "Today was realizing what we are going to use to hopefully elevate them."
The head coach got exactly what he wanted out of his team in physical contest that tallied 17 fouls and four yellow cards.
Nahas is far from concerned with what the final score says. He rarely is.
"Ultimately what you want to do every single game is leave a certain taste in the mouth of an opponent to let them know that we're not going anywhere," Nahas said.
By his standards, they did just that.
In that postgame huddle, Nahas didn't address the details. He made one thing clear: he was proud. And shown by their reactions, the players felt his message.
"They don't even need to hear it from me. I think they know themselves," Nahas said. "I can see it when they walk off the field."