Box Score DAHLONEGA, Ga. – The Nova Southeastern University men's soccer team (1-0-1) earned the first victory of the 2014 season over the North Georgia Nighthawks (0-2-0), 2-0, on the road Sunday.
"I'm really happy to get our first win of the season," said head coach
Giuseppe DePalo. "The boys worked hard and were really focused all weekend, and we got our due reward and a nice regional win. Now we'll prepare for Wednesday's home opener and keep building on this positive momentum we've created."
The Nighthawks came out as the aggressor in the first half, while the Sharks stayed patient and worked off the spots they were given. UNG put their first two shots on the board early, but neither threatened starting goalkeeper
Jo Jien Lee (So., Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia). The Sharks had the clearer chances but were patient in their attack.
The patience paid off after a handful of substitutions, as a fresh-legged
Stefano Fanfoni (Jr., Cremona, Italy) scored in the 35
th minute. Senior
Victor Cardoso (Sao Paulo, Brazil) took a shot from the top of the 18-yard box that was blocked. Fanfoni rebounded and struck after one touch into the top of the goal.
The goal opened the floodgates for the NSU offense, with seven of NSU's 12 first half shots coming in the final 11 minutes.
Guido Riffeser (Jr., Bolzano, Italy) earned two shots on goal in the first period while
Karl Enarsson (Jr., Gothenburg, Sweden) equaled Fanfoni's one shot on target. UNG had four shots, with a strike in the 28th minute serving as the best chance. A defensive miscue led to a 1-on-1 opportunity for UNG's Matt Shaftoe and Lee in the box. Lee showed great composure, forcing the point-blank shot wide right.
The second half continued to feature an aggressive, physical side from UNG. Despite the advantage and the urgency from the home squad, the Sharks continued to execute their game plan and took advantage of all opportunities. The effort led to a goal for
Santiago Camacho (Fr., Bogota, Colombia) in the 76th minute, the first of his career. Fanfoni started the attack and earned an assist by playing a crisp ball to
Nicola Brivio (Jr., Gallarate, Italy) on the left side. The All-Sunshine State Conference playmaker entered the box and made a quick pass to Camacho, whose attack was far out of reach and into the net.
Overall, the Sharks were the far more active team offensively, with 19 shots, seven on goal, to the Nighthawks' nine. UNG did not register a shot on goal, but despite no saves, Lee was effective in goal and helped lead the Sharks to their second shutout in as many matches. The Sharks showed their depth in the match, using seven subs in a variety of spots on the field.
Matthias Bruno (Jr., Rome, Italy) and
Emilio Blanco (Fr., Weston, Fla.) each played the entire match on the back line and each logged their 200th minute of the weekend, keeping both opponents scoreless.
NSU will make its home debut on Wednesday, Sept. 10 against Ave Maria at 6 p.m., marking the first Shark Night of the 2014-15 athletic year.
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