Box Score WINTER PARK, Fla. – The Nova Southeastern University women's soccer team (4-5-0, 1-4-0 SSC) lost the first of two road matches this week against the No. 13 Rollins Tars (10-2-0, 5-1-0 SSC), 2-0, Saturday at the Barker Family Stadium.
Rollins, entering the match with Bennett Ranking's highest rated offense in the nation, scored early and put the Sharks behind in the 11th minute. Mora Johnson received a perfect cross and scored on the Tars' third shot of the match.
Down a goal, NSU stepped up on both offense and defense. After three shots on goal in the first 11 minutes, Rollins would not force a save for the next 15 minutes and would not score again for the remainder of the half. On offense, the Sharks pressed aggressively.
Sierra Lelii (Jr., Seminole, Fla.) recorded her team's first shot on goal and nearly scored in the top left corner from 25 yards out. In the 23rd minute,
Julia Nytorp (Jr., Ornskoldsvik, Sweden) forced a diving save on a shot from the left side of the box.
NSU did not score before the break but overall, the Sharks attacked with efficiency. Three of NSU's five shots were on target, with the Sharks down only one in the shots on goal column. NSU goalkeeper
Amanda Kopale (So., Cape Coral, Fla.) had three saves before the second half.
NSU stepped up its offensive aggression in the second half, using several scoring threats up front and in the midfield. However, Rollins was able to break up much of the Sharks' attack and limited their shot output. Lelii forced two shots in the second half, once in the 51st minute and again in the 68th.
In the 77th minute, Rollins put the match away with their second goal of the night. Rollins' forward Brenna McKee ripped a shot past Kopale from the right side. Kopale finished the match with five saves against the 13th ranked team in the nation. Overall, the Sharks finished the day with nine shots, five of which were on target.
NSU will continue its Sunshine State Conference road trip on Saturday when the Sharks face the Tampa Spartans at 4:30 p.m. in downtown Tampa.
