FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Despite an 11-day layoff, 20
th-ranked Nova Southeastern certainly showed no-ill effects Wednesday night against Florida Tech. Behind a pair of goals in the first seven minutes from
Alexys Nowak and
Bailey Corbin, the Sharks raced ahead early and cruised to a 2-0 victory over the Panthers before the pink-laden crowd on Breast Cancer Awareness Night at the NSU Soccer Complex.
"It was a great result," said head coach
John Constable, whose club now stands at a perfect 4-0 in the Sunshine State Conference following the effort. "The game was a battle between two competitive teams. We're absolutely delighted and proud that we got the win."
Florida Tech entered the match fresh off a 2-1 road win over then-No.1 Grand Valley State, but it was the Sharks that grasped the momentum from the get-go. In just the second minute,
Nichole Poppe rolled a well-placed ball across the box to the left foot of Nowak, who converted the attempt for her fourth goal of the season.
Proving that one score wasn't enough, though, Nova Southeastern kept its foot on the gas pedal already in front 1-0. Earning one of their 10 corner kicks on the night, Poppe tallied yet another assist in the seventh minute, only this time finding Corbin for the header to double the lead.
That same 2-0 cushion stuck as both clubs entered halftime with the Sharks holding a commanding 10-4 shot advantage.
Still up 2-0 in the 55
th minute, Nova Southeastern nearly saw its cushion cut in half on a strong scoring chance from the Panthers' Kristin Howe. However, keeper
Ida Norstrom made a timely split-second diving save to keep the shutout intact.
Norstrom collected five saves Wednesday night to dip her goals-against average to an SSC-leading 0.572, and has now tallied four consecutive shutouts overall at home.
Following the quick strikes from both Nowak and Corbin, NSU has now notched two goals in the opening seven minutes in each of its past two matches.
The tough stretch continues for the Sharks as they'll now turn their focus towards Saturday's road matchup at eighth-ranked Rollins. For complete coverage of the Top-25 battle, visit
NSUSharks.com and click on the provided links on the
schedule page.
