Nova Southeastern University issued the following announcement on Nov. 2.
Three first-half goals help NSU clinch SSC tourney’s No. 3 seed
Fighting just to make the Sunshine State Conference Tournament, the Nova Southeastern women's soccer team didn't simply back in to their postseason berth, but proved that they belong, scoring three times in the first half and holding off numerous attacks late en route to a gritty 3-2 road win over the Rollins Tars on Tuesday night.
INSIDE THE MATCHUP:
Score: Nova Southeastern 3, Rollins 2
Records: Nova Southeastern (8-6-1, 6-4-0), Rollins (6-6-3, 4-2-3)
Location: Barker Family Stadium | Winter Park, Fla.
Get Social: Twitter - @NSU_WSoccer | Instagram - @nsu_wsoccer | Facebook - /nsusoccer
HOW IT HAPPENED:
The Sharks displayed their aggressiveness from the first whistle. Louise Matsgard had a shot off a free kick not even a full minute into the game, but it was saved by the Tars goalkeeper. The Tars' offense also tried to push the pace early, with three shots in the first 10 minutes, but all were off target.
Matsgard tried again in the 15th minute, taking a corner kick from Chama Silva about 10 yards in front of the left post and sent the ball just over the keeper's head into the right corner for the first score of the match.
Rollins tested NSU keeper Natalie Robayna for the first time just three minutes later, and she was up to the task, diving to knock the ball away for the save. The Sharks offense was not slowing down, either, and barely five minutes after their first goal, Brianna Paige threw in to Silva, who used some nifty footwork at the right corner of the six-yard box to work around a pair of Tars defenders and get the ball into the left corner of the net to double the lead.
The Tars had an opportunity to get one back in the 22nd minute after a Sharks penalty in the box gave them a penalty kick, but the ball went off the base of the right post, a huge boost for the Sharks, as Robayna was going the other direction.
Robayna made two additional saves in the half before the Tars cut the lead back to one in the 42nd minute. However, with just over a minute left in the half, the Sharks got that two-score edge back. Racing down the sideline from midfield, Dejah Holman utilized some fancy footwork of her own to work her into the box and hit Dani Correa with a one-timer just in front of the six-yard box, hitting the back of the net at dead-center.
In the 67th minute, Rollins closed to within a goal once more, rebounding a Robayna save and rerouting it back into the net.
Robayna did her best work in the game's most important moments, making huge saves in the 82nd and 84th minutes to maintain the lead, and with less than four minutes left, Olivia Graham cleared a header from in front of the right side of the goal to keep the Tars at bay once and for all.
STATS OF THE NIGHT:
The Sharks earned the victory despite a 22-12 shot disadvantage, as the Tars outshot them by five in each half: first 12-7, then 10-5. Only nine of those 22 Rollins shots were on target, however, while the Sharks' three scores came on just five shots on goal.
Correa led the team with four shots off the bench, followed by Matsgard's three and Holman, who had two.
Each of the Sharks' top three leading scorers notched goals, with Correa and Matsgard maintaining their team-high of six for the season, with Silva right behind at five. In the points category, Matsgard and Silva, thanks to her assist, now lead the way with 14 each, with Correa on their heels at 13.
Robayna matched her season high with six saves, improving her record to 5-2-1 overall and 4-2 in SSC play.
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE:
The Sharks scored three goals in a single half of conference action for the second time this season, the first being in the second half vs. Eckerd on Oct. 16. It was the first time they did so on the road since Sept. 20, 2017, against Embry-Riddle, and the first such occurrence in a first half since Oct. 1, 2016, at Palm Beach Atlantic.
This match was the first-ever battle of the Truong sisters. Lily, a graduate student for the Sharks, who previously played Division I soccer for Alabama and Stetson, logged 27 minutes as a starter, while Lana, a sophomore for the Tars, notched an assist and a shot in her 11 minutes off the bench.
Original source can be found here.
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