Box Score

WINTER PARK, Fla. – The Nova Southeastern University men's soccer team (6-8-2) advanced to the 2014 Sunshine State Conference Tournament semifinals after the Sharks' 1-1 draw with Rollins (10-4-3) ended with NSU taking a 5-4 advantage on penalty kicks Tuesday. The Sharks will travel to Boca Raton, Fla. to face the No. 4 Lynn Fighting Knights at 6:30 p.m. Friday.
 
The Sharks and Tars played through 110 minutes Tuesday with both teams scoring a single goal. The match was sent to penalty kicks, where the Sharks were a perfect 5-for-5. Rollins made four, but goalkeeper Andrea Giombetti (Rome, Italy) made the biggest save of his career in the third round to help the Sharks advance. The perfect round of penalty kicks launched the Sharks to the semifinals for the first time since 2009.
 
The intensity in the first half was palpable, with both team's playing much more cautious than their first meeting this year, a 4-3 Rollins win in overtime. The Tars took two shots on goal in the first four minutes, but both were easily saved by Giombetti. NSU's first attack came in the 15th minute on a header from Andrea Spuntarelli (Sr., Rome, Italy) that sailed just left of the goal.
 
In the 29th minute, NSU was fouled just outside the 18-yard box on the left side. Victor Cardoso (Sr., Sao Paulo, Brazil) sent a great ball across the box that was just out of reach of the head of Spuntarelli. The momentum swayed like a pendulum, but in the end both teams took five shots before the break with no result. After just 14 regular season shots all season, Spuntarelli had his most aggressive half of the season, taking three of his team's five shots.
 
The second half started with each team trading blows and counter attacks. NSU took two shots in the first 20 minutes of the second half, including a rocket by Nicola Brivio (Jr., Gallarate, Italy), with no success. The stalemate would be broken in the 65th minute, as Jared Weiner of Rollins scored on a corner kick from the right side.
 
Down a goal, the Sharks pushed forward in every opportunity looking for an equalizer. The constant attack paid off in the 83rd minute, when Emilio Blanco (Fr., Weston, Fla.) broke away from the pack but was tripped up as he entered the box. With two strikers on the field, the penalty kick came from an unlikely source. Defender Mattia Marzetti (Jr., Rome, Italy) stepped up and scored the first goal of his career. He had previously played 3,542 minutes on the back line for NSU and was making his 40th start.
 
NSU looked to steal the win towards the end of regulation, but Rollins cleared the ball out of the box on several crucial occasions. Like the last meeting, the night would go to extra time. Rollins reclaimed momentum in the first 10 minutes, and the NSU defense made several key stops to stay in the match. Karl Enarsson (Jr., Gothenburg, Sweden), whose family surprised him by flying in for the match, went 1-v-1 with Rollins' Grant Blackhurst and made a clutch stop in the 97th minute. A few minutes later, Rollins broke away and went 1-v-1 with Giombetti, who made a save at the front of the box with six seconds left on the clock.
 
The Sharks had more of an advantage in the second extra time period and nearly won the match on a corner kick in the 102nd minute. Spuntarelli had another strike, but the shot was blocked and cleared out. NSU's defense stepped up late in the match, and fought off three corner kicks from Rollins in the last three minutes. Neither team could score, and the 110th minute signaled the Sharks' second draw of the year.
 
NSU, who last participated in tournament penalty kicks in 2009, were flawless and aggressive in the penalty kick round. Team captain Spuntarelli made the first, and was followed by a strong strike from Enarsson. After Giombetti's penalty save, Marzetti stepped up once again and put the ball in the back of the net. The match would be sealed by successful strikes from Cardoso and Guido Riffeser (Jr., Balzono, Italy).
 
NSU will face the SSC's top seeded team in Lynn on Friday at 6:30 p.m., with a chance to play in the conference championship match on Sunday at 1 p.m.