FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Amidst its tough stretch of three matches over the course of just five days, Nova Southeastern hopes to continue its run of strong play this weekend with matchups against both Tampa and Johnson & Wales. The Sharks will face off with their conference counterpart on the road Saturday at 7 p.m. ET before returning home for a clash with the Wildcats at the same time on Sunday.
 
Following Wednesday's 2-0 shutout over Florida Southern, Nova Southeastern has now won 10 straight at home, a span that dates back to September 19 of last year. The impressive streak remained intact earlier this week thanks to a strong performance from senior Nichole Poppe. One of only three seniors on the entire roster, Poppe carried the club with a pair of goals in the victory, swaying the early momentum in favor of the Sharks with her first score of the season in the 23^rd minute.  
 
SSC foe Tampa, however, hasn't experienced the same level of success in the early portion of the season. The Spartans opened up 2016 with a 4-0 loss at the hands of West Florida, and have since been shutout two more times en route to a 1-4 start.
 
Picked to win the league by the coaches in the preseason, Tampa dropped its most recent match 2-0 to 22^nd-ranked Armstrong State. The Spartans managed just one shot attempt on goal in the defeat and now rank ninth in the SSC with a 0.600 goals-per-game average.  
 
A member of the NAIA, Johnson and Wales has endured its fair share of ups-and-downs thus far – particularly in its last two contests. After pummeling Johnson & Wales (Char.) by a final score of 4-0, the Wildcats turned around and were knocked off 5-0 by Palm Beach Atlantic on September 11. In its two victories, head coach Eric Dobrzanski's club has outscored its opponents 10-0, but conversely has been outscored 10-2 in its three losses.
 
NSU edged Tampa 1-0 in its latest regular season meeting in 2015.  
 
For coverage throughout the weekend, click on the provided links on the schedule page.