TOURNAMENT CENTRAL

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – The Nova Southeastern University men's soccer team (6-8-2) will compete for the 2014 Sunshine State Conference Tournament Championship this weekend in Boca Raton, Florida.
 
The Sharks will compete against the hosts, No. 4 Lynn (13-1-1), in the semifinals Friday at 6:30 p.m. If they advance, the Sharks would face the winner between Florida Tech (10-4-2) and Saint Leo (10-2-3) Sunday at 1 p.m. for the SSC Championship.
 
Fans that would like to attend but need transportation to Boca Raton can reserve a spot on the Shark Shuttle, leaving NSU at 5 p.m. from the Sharks Circle. To RSVP, contact Pat Lillis at PL500@nova.edu. All students will receive free admission with their Shark Card.
 
NSU enters the match on the merit of the draw and penalty kick victory over the Rollins Tars on the road Tuesday. NSU and Rollins were tied, 1-1, after 110 minutes of play, which forced the penalty kick round. NSU went 5-for-5 on kicks, while All-SSC goalkeeper Andrea Giombetti (Sr., Rome Italy) forced a stop in the third round to keep NSU's season alive.
 
Head coach Giuseppe DePalo and the men's soccer program are familiar with this level of the SSC Tournament. Of the Sharks' seven tournament appearances, NSU has reached the final four five times. However, none of the current Sharks have played this far into the postseason, with the last semifinal appearance coming in 2009.
 
Lynn presents itself as the biggest obstacle, holding a top-5 ranking and aspirations of winning the NCAA National Championship. However, the Sharks have given Lynn tough matches throughout the years. Aside from wins over ranked Lynn teams in 2012 and 2013, NSU has faced the Fighting Knights three times in the SSC Tournament. In the 2004 SSC Championship match, the two teams competed to a close 2-1 victory for Lynn. In 2007, the teams played to a draw, with Lynn advancing on penalty kicks. In the last matchup in 2009, The Sharks would exact revenge with a draw and a penalty kick win of their own.
 
Only three teams in the entire south region will receive bids to the NCAA Tournament, with no automatic bid given to the tournament winner. The Sharks finished fifth in the SSC this season, making this weekend's tournament the possible last stand for the upstart NSU squad. However, NSU has been given the rare opportunity of not only ending their season with a win, but win the program its first men's soccer SSC Championship.
 
For the team's six graduating seniors, all of whom started against Rollins, this will be their final chance to boost their legacy before moving on to the next stage in their careers. For all the Sharks, the weekend is an opportunity to complete a truly special run and reach heights no other NSU team has reached before.