FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Nova Southeastern showed no signs of a hangover on Wednesday following its tough road defeat at No. 23 Rollins this past weekend. Goalkeeper Jack Howard kept the Sharks within striking distance all night before Bestun Mohammed delivered the game-winning strike in the 84^th minute to lift Nova Southeastern to a 1-0 triumph over Sunshine State Conference rival Barry.  

INSIDE THE MATCHUP:
Score: Nova Southeastern 1, Barry 0
Records: Nova Southeastern (3-4, 1-2 SSC), Barry (0-4-2, 0-3-1 SSC)
Location: NSU Soccer Complex | Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
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HOW IT HAPPENED:

• Nova Southeastern survived a couple near-scoring chances early on by the Buccaneers before settling into the match.
• In the 24^th minute, Mohammed sent a curling left-footed attempt towards the net, but had the bending shot knocked away by a diving Marco Sordi.
• The match remained scoreless in the 61st minute when the Sharks just about handed Barry the go-ahead score following a turnover deep in their own third. However, the point-blank shot by the Bucs' Francisco Aguirre was swallowed up by Howard.
• With the tension mounting, and the match still hanging in the balance in the 83^rd minute, the Shark faithful breathed a sigh of relief after Barry's Frank Lustig had his shot attempt deflect off the crossbar and away from danger.
• Moments after the Bucs came just inches away from grasping the late lead, Mohammed added salt to the wound when he cleaned up a Noel Johnson rebound to dash Barry's hopes at its very own first SSC victory.  
   

BEYOND THE BOXSCORE:

• Wednesday's shutout victory marked the first for Nova Southeastern in SSC action since beating Florida Southern 4-0 on September 16, 2015.
• Nova Southeastern has now beaten Barry in back-to-back meetings after edging the Bucs 3-2 a year ago down in Miami Shores.
• Mohammed's game-winner marked his first goal of the season after leading the club in that department with five in 2016.
• Mohammed's late score now gives the Sharks two game-winning efforts this season coming in the 84^th minute or later.

 
STATS OF THE NIGHT:

• Howard recorded a career-high nine saves in his first-ever SSC start. The saves were also the most by any Sharks' keeper since back on October 24, 2015 against Eckerd.
• The Sharks picked up the much-needed 'W' despite being outshot by the Bucs 20-10, including a 9-2 margin in shots on goal.
   

WATTS' WORDS:
"For us tonight, keeping a clean sheet was really important. We bounced back tonight. It wasn't our best game by any means, but that's not what it's about. It's about the result. The boys really dug deep tonight and they stuck together."
 
UP NEXT:
Nova Southeastern will look to even up its record in SSC play when it welcomes Florida Southern to the NSU Soccer Complex this Saturday at 7 p.m. ET. For complete coverage of the action, visit the schedule page on NSUSharks.com.
 
 
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