WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – For the second time in 22 days, the Nova Southeastern men's soccer team battled until the closing moments with a Top-4 nationally ranked Palm Beach Atlantic side. Unfortunately, the Sharks once again came up just short, as the Sailfish erased a 1-0 deficit in the final five minutes to escape past Nova Southeastern 2-1 at the Rinker Athletic Complex on Thursday night.

INSIDE THE MATCHUP:
Score: Palm Beach Atlantic 2, Nova Southeastern 1
Records: Palm Beach Atlantic (18-1), Nova Southeastern (12-4-1)
Location: Rinker Athletic Complex | West Palm Beach, Fla.
Get Social: Twitter - @NSU_MSoccer | Instagram - @nsu_msoccer | Facebook - /nsusoccer

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• The first half came and went without much in the way of scoring chances from either side, as the teams combined for just nine shots. Titouan Le Roux had the only save of the period in the 33^rd minute, and the Sailfish had another shot hit the crossbar three minutes later.
• The Sharks came very close to taking the lead in the 51^st minute, with the Sailfish keeper unable to make the stop, but the defense caught it just in time, inches away from the line.
• Instead, the Sharks broke the scoreless tie in the 73^rd minute, when Jan Luca Ahillen sent a corner kick to Curtis Thorn, who headed it into the goal.
• The Sailfish tied the match with just 4:26 remaining in regulation with a free kick from just outside the box into the upper 90.
• With the clock ticking down under one minute, the Sailfish were awarded a free kick in the box. The initial shot was blocked by the Sharks' wall of defenders, but bouncing around the box, the Sailfish sent the ball into the net for the game-winner with a mere 39 seconds left.

BEYOND THE BOXSCORE:

• The first goal for the Sailfish in the 86^th minute snapped a 437-minute scoreless streak for the Sharks net-minding combination of Le Roux and Brian Lopez, dating back nearly three weeks, with the last goal allowed coming in the 28^th minute against Saint Leo on Oct. 13. The team had recorded shutouts of Eckerd, Lynn and Florida Tech in that time.
• Le Roux, meanwhile, ran up his personal shutout streak to 461 minutes, with shutouts of Tampa and Flagler, as well as two against Florida Tech, coming in between tonight's match and the last goal that he had allowed against Embry-Riddle on Sept. 12.
• Had the Sharks held on, it would have been their first road win over Palm Beach Atlantic since Oct. 18, 2000, when both teams were members of The Sun Conference at the NAIA level.

STATS OF THE NIGHT:

• The Sharks were outshot by a 13-9 margin, including 7-4 on shots on goal.
• Of the seven Sailfish second-half shots, five came in the last 6:30 of the match with the Sharks in the lead. All five were on target.
• Ignacio Goya led the team with three shots, of which two were on goal. Bradley Fountain also had two shots, with one being stopped at the net.
• In just his second game back from a month-long injury, Le Roux made a season-high five saves.
• Thorn's goal was his second of the season, while Ahillen's corner kick assist gives him six on the year, breaking a three-way tie to give him sole possession of second place on the team.

UP NEXT:
The Sharks will now have to wait until the NCAA Division II Men's Soccer Selection Show on Monday at 6:00 p.m. to learn their fate. If the Sharks are selected as one of the four teams to make the south regional, it would be their first NCAA postseason berth in program history. To stay up-to-date with the Sharks, follow them on Twitter at @NSU_MSoccer.