Box Score BOX SCORE
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – The Nova Southeastern men’s soccer team (4-3-0) snapped a three-match losing skid Saturday, as the Sharks took an out-of-conference road victory against the Eckerd Tritons (2-4-1), 1-0.
After losing three straight matches in which they were the more active offensive team, the Sharks caught a break just 21 minutes into the match. Freshman left back
Nicola Brivio (Gallarte, Italy) played a cross into the box that was misread by the opposing goalkeeper. The keeper came out to snatch up the ball but missed, allowing
Riccardo Bini (Fr., Varese, Italy) to fire into a wide open goal. It was Bini’s team-best fourth goal of the season and Brivio’s first career assist.
In the Sharks’ first road match of the season, NSU faced a much more potent offense in the first half than they have been accustomed to. However, the all-freshmen backline held the Tritons to two first-half shots on goal, both of which were saved by
Andrea Giombetti (So., Rome, Italy).
NSU clamped down on defense in the second half, as the Sharks did not give up another shot until the 74th minute. In the 72nd minute, Bini came close to putting the match out of reach but drilled his shot off the crossbar. In the final two minutes,
Guido Riffeser (Fr., Bolzano, Italy) and
Matthew Ilter (Jr., Lake Mary, Fla.) each tried to score their team’s second goal but did not succeed.
Despite Eckerd sending many players forward in an effort to equalize, the Sharks still dominated time of possession down the stretch. In the final seven minutes, the Sharks did not give up a shot attempt and had a corner kick opportunity.
The Sharks will return to Sunshine State Conference play, facing Florida Southern in Lakeland, Fla. Wednesday at 7 p.m.
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