Box Score BOCA RATON, Fla. – The Nova Southeastern University men's soccer team (6-9-2) ended its postseason run Friday by falling to the No. 4 Lynn Fighting Knights (14-1-1), 2-0, in the Sunshine State Conference Semifinals.
NSU pressed at the start of the first half looking to strike first. In the seventh minute, the Sharks earned the match's first corner kick. NSU nearly put a goal on the board, but the ball just missed
Victor Nirennold (So., Rennes, France), who's size would have given him a clean shot at an open net.
Just four minutes later, Lynn set the tone for the rest of the match with a goal from SSC Player of the Year Chris Hellman. Hellman worked his way around the defense and slid the ball into the left side of the goal. From there, the Sharks continued to push in what was a close first half. NSU had two more corner kicks, both of which were nearly put in to equalize.
The Sharks had good reason to be confident at the start of the second half, but Lynn would score their second goal in the 50th minute. The Fighting Knights' Simon Gubisch scored a highlight goal from outside the left corner of the box. Matters would only get worse for NSU, as a red card in the 55th minute forced the Sharks to play a man down.
Just a minute after the card,
Guido Riffeser (Jr., Bolzano, Italy) nearly cut the deficit in half, finding Lynn goalkeeper Lucas Fancello out of position. His strike went just high and wide. In the 78th minute,
Victor Cardoso (Sr., Sao Paulo, Brazil) almost found a streaking
Vincenzo Padula (Sr., Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) for a senior connection, but the cross from the right was just out of reach.
The Sharks ended with 10 shots to Lynn's 12, in what was a competitive match until the end. All-SSC goalkeeper
Andrea Giombetti (Sr., Rome, Italy) made two saves in his final match at NSU.
Despite the loss, the match represented the first SSC semifinal appearance for the Sharks since 2009. NSU earned six wins in 2014 against what was reported as the nation's toughest schedule. The Sharks graduate six players in the spring but will bring back a majority of the squad for another run in 2015.
