FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Perhaps, No. 9 Nova Southeastern just needed a bit of a wake-up call. After falling behind on Victoria Covas' goal in the 73
rd minute, the Sharks responded twice within a span of 1:52 to remain unbeaten in Sunshine State Conference play with a 2-1 victory over Saint Leo.
Hannah Christophe recorded her second goal of the season before
Emma Heikkila provided the game-winner on Senior Night from the NSU Soccer Complex.
INSIDE THE MATCHUP:
Score: Nova Southeastern 2, Saint Leo 1
Records: Nova Southeastern (10-1-1, 6-0-1 SSC), Saint Leo (3-7, 2-5 SSC)
Location: NSU Soccer Complex | Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
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HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Although the scoring didn't arrive until late, both sides certainly had opportunities in the early going. Less than 10 minutes into the match, Covas nearly gave the Lions a momentum lift, but a spectacular kick save by keeper Jordan Lentz kept the match knotted at 0-0.
- In the 22nd minute, the match appeared as if it would swing in favor of the Sharks when Christophe found herself one-on-one in front of the net with Saint Leo keeper Megan Charlton. The sophomore sent the left-footed shot far post, yet had the attempt clank off and cleared away.
- Both sides remained scoreless down the stretch until both offenses all the sudden found second wind. Utilizing a well-played give-and-go, Covas snuck behind the Nova Southeastern defense and converted the feed from teammate Rosie Young to put Saint Leo in front 1-0.
- Before the Lions' faithful could even settle back in, though, Christophe responded by heading in a cross on the right side from Adanna Edwards. The equalizer came just 23 seconds after Saint Leo's initial score.
- Feeding off the energy, the Sharks' offense continued to press forward and forced a foul call on the Saint Leo defense in the 75th minute. Awarded a free kick from just outside the 18-yard box, Heikkila lined up and perfectly executed the finesse shot for what eventually proved to be the difference.
STATS OF THE NIGHT:
- Lentz added three more saves in the effort, running her career recorded to an astounding 17-2-3 in the process.
- After being limited to only five shots in the opening 45 minutes of action, the Sharks doubled up with 10 in the second half.
- With her sixth goal of the season in Saturday's win, Heikkila has now surpassed her total of five from her entire 2016 campaign.
- Christophe's score now gives the Sharks six different players with at least two goals this season.
BEYOND THE BOXSCORE:
- The last time Nova Southeastern won 10-plus games three years in a row was from 1998-2000.
- The Sharks are not only the first team to 10 wins in the SSC, but own four more than next closest school.
UP NEXT:
Nova Southeastern will host Barry in a rare non-conference matchup next Thursday at 8 p.m. ET. The Sharks edged the Buccaneers 2-1 in overtime back on October 4. For complete coverage of the action, follow along on Twitter at @NSU_WSoccer and by clicking on the provided links on the
schedule page.
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