Box Score
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – The Nova Southeastern men's soccer team (3-7-3, 0-5-1 SSC) dropped a road Sunshine State Conference match against Eckerd, 3-1, Wednesday in St. Petersburg, Fla.
The Sharks and Tritons played an even first half, with each side earning a goal. Eckerd put themselves on the board first in the 38th minute with a goal from Matt Dolan.
The Sharks went on the offensive early and pushed the ball forward. NSU tied the match in the 41st minute with a goal from
Andrea Spuntarelli (Jr., Rome).
Juan Rodriguez (So., Lima, Peru) received a cross on the right side and played the ball back to
Mattia Marzetti (So., Rome). Marzetti sent a pinpoint cross into the box to Spuntarelli, who headed in his third goal of the season from eight yards out. Both Spuntarelli and Rodriguez had entered the match just nine minutes prior to the goal.
The home team was aggressive in the first half, forcing
Andrea Giombetti (Jr., Rome) to make six saves before the break. The Sharks were outshot in the first period but were efficient, with three of four shots on target.
The Sharks nearly took the lead in the 51st minute on two shots from point-blank range. The first was saved by goalkeeper Toni Vertanen, and the rebound shot went off the crossbar. NSU caught a bad break in the 55th minute, when the Sharks were called for a foul just inside the penalty box on the left side. Daniel Lopez scored on the penalty kick to regain the lead for Eckerd.
The Sharks once again came close to tying the match in the 65th minute.
Viktor Jonsson (Fr., Reykjavik, Iceland) had a clear path to the goal, but Vertanen came out of the box to foul the striker. The starting keeper was sent off, but NSU could not convert on the free kick.
Although they were a man down, the Tritons would go up 3-1 in the 62nd minute. Eckerd earned a corner kick, and played the ball to an open Marcus Lohrmann for the header goal. In the end, NSU outshot the Tritons, 13-12, but could not chip away at the deficit over the final 28 minutes.
The Sharks will play their final out-of-conference match on Monday, Oct. 28 against Northwood at home at 6 p.m.
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