Box Score YOUNG HARRIS, Ga. – The Nova Southeastern University men's soccer team (0-0-1) played to a scoreless draw on the road at the No. 11 Young Harris Mountain Lions (0-0-1) Thursday.
"I'm quite pleased with the draw against what is obviously one of the top teams in the country," said head coach
Giuseppe DePalo. "We learned a lot about ourselves today. This match will continue to give us confidence and will hopefully propel us to a great start."
The match was an even contest between two teams pushing the tempo for 110 minutes. Each team recorded three shots on goal apiece, resulting in three saves and shutouts for goalkeepers
Andrea Giombetti (Sr., Rome, Italy) and Jordan Bradshaw. The backlines on each side also held their own, minimizing clear attempts throughout the night.
The first half was plagued by a strong rain that started just before the national anthem. The home Mountain Lions, undefeated in home openers since 2009, came out aggressively at the start looking to take the Sharks off guard in the storm.
After having the action sent to them for the first couple of minutes, NSU found their rhythm and began to find possession of the ball consistently. From there, Young Harris slowed the pace of the match down, limiting the chances for both teams in the first 45 minutes. NSU's only first-period shot on target came in the 32nd minute, when
Stefano Fanfoni (Jr., Cremona, Italy) fired into the keeper's gloves from the top of the 18-yard box.
In the second half, NSU attacked the nationally ranked opponents early and often. The Sharks doubled their shot output in the period and controlled the ball for a majority of the half. Senior
Victor Cardoso (Sao Paulo, Brazil) had a clear chance in the 55th minute, but Bradshaw made a great save to keep the game scoreless. Ten minutes later, Cardoso had another look at the goal, but slipped on the soaking wet turf and did not get the shot off as strongly as intended.
Young Harris applied loads of pressure up front late in the second half, but the NSU defense held and sent the match to extra time. Over the final 20 minutes, Young Harris took four shots, but none were on target. NSU pressed forward but did not get any open looks at the goal. NSU had the final attack of the match in the final minute, but the ball was played too far forward for NSU to get a shot off in the box.
The early rain played a huge factor in the match, causing both teams to slip and slide on the turf all night. Regardless, when the match was on the line in the waning minutes, both teams showed aggression and pushed forward.
NSU will look to build off of this draw with a Sunday match at North Georgia in Dahlonega, Georgia at 11 a.m.
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