Box Score ST. LEO, Fla. – The Nova Southeastern University men's soccer team (3-2-1, 0-1-0 SSC) lost its Sunshine State Conference opener against the preseason SSC favorites, the No. 6 Saint Leo Lions (4-0-2, 1-0-0 SSC), Saturday evening.
Like the last time NSU faced the No. 6 team in the nation, they would have to deal with a long weather delay and heavy rain to start the match. The night would only get tougher, as the Sharks would give up the opening goal in the 10th minute. The goal came on a sloppy moment in the rain when Saint Leo's Bafau Sanogo collided with NSU goalkeeper
Andrea Giombetti (Sr., Rome, Italy). Giombetti took the brunt of the collision with the 200 pound forward, and the Lions were able to slip the ball past him.
NSU pressed the action with urgency, while the Lions clogged their side of the field and looked to work off counter attacks. The strategy paid off with a second Lions goal in the 39th minute. After going nearly 29 minutes without a shot attempt, Saint Leo's Jules Verdin converted on a highlight reel strike from over 30 yards out.
Despite two goals from the home side, the first half lacked many opportunities for either side. There were five combined shots in the first 45 minutes with no saves.
The second half was a tactical period, with Saint Leo allowing the action to come to them. Saint Leo prevented NSU from taking a shot attempt until the 64th minute, when
Santiago Camacho's (Fr., Bogota, Colombia) strike was deflected wide. NSU's best chance of the night came on a shot from the center of the pitch via
Victor Cardoso (Sr., Sao Paulo, Brazil), forcing the only save made by Saint Leo's Manuel Schoenhuber.
The Sharks continued to send the ball forward in the waning minutes, while the home team took its last shot with 20 minutes left on the clock. NSU's final attack came on a hard strike from
Nate Matthews-Leader (Fr., Toronto, Canada) in the 76th minute, but his shot was deflected out of play.
The match was the Sharks' third against a top-15 ranked opponent and second against a team ranked sixth in the nation. All three matches against ranked opponents have come on the road and in the rain. Despite Saturday's result, the Sharks return home with a winning record against the toughest strength of schedule in the nation, according to Bennett Ranking.
NSU will next face Florida Tech at the NSU Soccer Complex Wednesday at 7 p.m.
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