BOCA RATON, Fla. – The No. 9 Nova Southeastern women's soccer team bounced back from its first Sunshine State Conference loss of the season with a 3-1 defeat of the Lynn Fighting Knights at Bobby Campbell Stadium on Friday night, all three goals coming off the foot of Hannah Christophe. The Sharks improve to 11-2-3 with the win and 6-1-2 in the SSC, a new program record for both SSC wins and winning percentage. The Knights, meanwhile, fall to 3-10-2 overall and 0-6-2 in conference.
 
Christophe got the scoring started in the 19^th minute when she went one-on-one from just outside the box and won the battle. The Sharks had an opportunity to increase their lead before halftime after a foul in the 37^th minute by Lynn in the box gave Sini Laaksonen a penalty shot, but Knights' keeper Alexa Downie was able to corral the ball and make the save. The Sharks would soon regret not converting on that scoring chance, as the Knights tied the match just 31 seconds before the end of the half on a goal by Amber Agrillo, assisted by Valentina Pedretti.
 
The Sharks were fired up to improve in the second half. They allowed the Knights an 8-5 shot advantage at the break, and also trailed in shots on goal, 4-2. Improve is exactly what they did, as barely five minutes had passed before Christophe won another one-on-one to take the lead back for the Sharks, one they would hold through to the final whistle. She provided some important insurance 10 minutes later, completing her hat trick off a deflection from the goalkeeper before jumping in and tapping the ball into the center of the net.
 
Despite the deficit, the Knights wouldn't go down without a fight. They attempted five shots in the second half, two of which were on a goal and a third that hit the crossbar. Overall, both teams totaled 13 shots and both keepers – Lynn's Downie and Ida Norstrom for the Sharks – made five saves, but it was the Sharks' 8-6 edge in shots on goal that ended up making all the difference.
 
With her three goals, Christophe now has 10 on the season, all but two of them in conference play. She is just the second SSC player this season to reach double-digit goals and also ranks second in the SSC conference goals, trailing only Saint Leo's Arielle Kabangu in both categories. Christophe is also just the third freshman in program history to reach double-digit goals in a season, the first in 10 years.
 
The hat trick, the 16^th-ever by an NSU women's soccer player, also made Christophe just the third player in program history to accomplish the feat multiple times in either a single season or a career.
 
The Sharks, at least for the night, are now back atop the SSC standings. Whether or not they hold that position, as well their conference tournament seeding, will depend upon the results of the Rollins-Barry match at 6:00 p.m. Saturday in Miami Shores, Florida and the Palm Beach Atlantic-Saint Leo match at 7:00 p.m. on Sunday in Saint Leo, Florida. Wins by both Rollins and Saint Leo would push the Sharks back down to third, in which case they would host the sixth-place Florida Tech Panthers at the NSU Soccer Complex in the SSC Tournament quarterfinals. A win by either Rollins or Saint Leo would give the Sharks the second seed and one of two first-round byes directly into the tournament semifinals. Meanwhile, losses by both teams, or a Saint Leo loss and a Rollins tie, would maintain the Sharks' placement in first, giving them a first-round bye and the privilege of hosting the tournament at the NSU Soccer Complex where they are undefeated in their last 15 matches dating back to September 19 of last season. Visit NSUSharks.com for complete coverage of the Sharks and their SSC Tournament fates, and click on the links provided on the schedule page to follow along during the games.