Box Score BOX SCORE
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – In a back and forth double-overtime struggle, the Nova Southeastern men’s soccer team (3-2-0, 0-1-0 SSC) lost its Sunshine State Conference-opener at home against the Florida Tech Panthers (4-0-1, 1-0-0 SSC) Saturday, 4-3.
The Sharks led three different times but could not take the Panthers out of the match, as the opposition equalized minutes after every goal. The first score came on a penalty kick, the Sharks’ first of the season, from
Riccardo Bini (Fr., Varese, Italy).
Sharif Shears (Fr., Davie, Fla.) set up the play by drawing a foul in the top right corner of the box. After the foul was called, Bini finished the job with a picture-perfect penalty strike. It was Bini’s third goal of the year.
The Panthers would equalize in the 33rd minute by scoring on a corner kick, leading the match to enter halftime tied at one a piece. The Sharks retook the lead early in the second half when
Juan Rodriguez (Fr., Lima, Peru) scored his second goal of the year. In the 55th minute, Rodriguez stole a bad pass from the Panthers, took two steps and fired into the left side of the goal.
NSU’s lead would last less than three minutes, as the Panthers scored on another corner kick. The Sharks would hold their longest lead after their third goal, which came in the 65th minute.
Stefano Fanfoni (Sr., Cremona, Italy) sent a great ball up the middle to Shears, who dribbled around the keeper and drilled the ball into the wide open goal.
The Sharks seemed to be on their way towards a conference victory before the Panthers tied the match in the 84th minute. FIT’s Robbie Russell sent a cross that veered towards the goal and through goalkeeper
Andrea Giombetti’s (So., Rome Italy) hands. Fanfoni had one more opportunity to score in regulation, but his shot was corralled in by goalkeeper Brentton Muhammad.
In the first overtime period, each team registered a shot-on-goal. The Sharks’ shot came in the 97th minute when Rodriguez sent a header that was recovered by Muhammad. The second overtime period lasted less than two minutes, as Florida Tech’s Gary Ogilvie scored in the 101st minute. The Panthers led a three-on-two run and capitalized by sliding the ball into the bottom-right corner of the net.
The Sharks played a solid offensive match and outshot the Panthers, 17-9. They shot efficiently, with 12 of their 17 shots coming on goal.
The Sharks will look to end their recent skid Wednesday, Sept. 19 at the NSU Soccer Complex against Palm Beach Atlantic at 6 p.m.
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