FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – The Nova Southeastern University men's soccer team will start off the 2015 season by playing three matches in five days on the road, beginning Thursday, Sept. 3 at Mississippi College at 3 p.m. ET. It is the first NSU competition of the 2015-16 academic year.
After the match against the Choctaws, the Sharks will play a neutral site match against Delta State on Saturday, Sept. 5 at 5 p.m. ET in Clinton, Mississippi. The road trip ends with a match at West Alabama Monday, Sept. 7 at 8 p.m. ET.
The trip is set to test the Sharks' talent and stamina before heading into Sunshine State Conference play. All three sides are expected to challenge NSU at a high level, and the high frequency of matches will force every Shark to be ready to make an impact at a moment's notice.
Sharks fans will know much more about their men's soccer team in a week, but signs point to a strong campaign in 2015. NSU returns a slew of experienced returners and have added several talented newcomers. NSU's returners include former All-SSC honoree
Stefano Fanfoni (Sr., Cremona, Italy), as well as seniors
Matthias Bruno (Rome, Italy),
Karl Enarsson (Gothenburg, Sweden) and
Juan Rodriguez (Lima, Peru).
The Sharks' seniors will attempt to build on last year's strong finish. NSU upset Rollins on the road in penalty kicks during the SSC Tournament, allowing the Sharks to advance to play the SSC Champions in Lynn. The Sharks were downed, 2-0, but gave the Fighting Knights a tough showing before they marched their way to a NCAA National Title. The Sharks turned a corner late in 2014 and have plenty of momentum to carry over.
On the other end, the Choctaws enter their second year in the Gulf South Conference after posting a 12-6-2 record in 2014. Key returners include forwards Ewahai Amhanesi and Victor Marinho, who combined for six goals and an assist last year.
Delta State will test NSU with veteran presence. According to GoStatesmen.com, "The Statesmen, who finished 2014 7-10, with a 4-5 mark in GSC contests, return eight players who started in 10 or more matches, including 87 percent of their goal production."
West Alabama will be the Sharks' most decorated opponent of the road trip. The Tigers won the 2014 Gulf South Conference and secured 11 victories last year. Although they were left off the preseason national coaches' poll, Hero Sports has ranked them No. 11 in the nation. Seniors Alex Brown and Brian Meadows were each named to the Preseason All-GSC team.
Check the schedule for multimedia links for all matches and check back with NSUSharks.com after every match for results.
