FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Continuing their strong start to the season, the Nova Southeastern men's soccer team battled to a 1-0 shutout victory over Tampa on Saturday night at the NSU Soccer Complex.

INSIDE THE MATCHUP:
Score: Nova Southeastern 1, Tampa 0
Records: Nova Southeastern (5-1, 2-0 SSC), Tampa (0-2-3, 0-1 SSC)
Location: NSU Soccer Complex | Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
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HOW IT HAPPENED:

• The Sharks came out aggressive offensively, with six shots and five corner kicks in the first 15 minutes of action, but Tampa keeper Jake Richards made three saves to keep them off the board.
• The Spartans had their first chance with a free kick near the goal at the 17-minute mark, but the Sharks' defense held up and blocked the attempt.
• The Sharks finally broke through and made their determined play count in the 35^th minute, when Sebastian Loibl found Juan Nunez in front of the net. With the team's ninth and final shot of the opening half, Nunez sent the ball into the corner for the game's lone score.
• With the lead in hand, the Sharks fell back into a more defensive-minded style out of the break and it worked. After controlling the ball to the tune of a 9-1 shot advantage in the first half, they attempted just two more the rest of the game, but the defense only allowed four of their own.
• The play of the game defensively came in the 59^th minute, when Titouan Le Roux maintained the lead by using his entire lengthy reach to make a pivotal save in the right corner of the net.
• The rest of the game saw little in the way of scoring opportunities, with neither team attempting a shot in the final 25 minutes of play, though five of the match's seven yellow cards were issued during that span.

BEYOND THE BOXSCORE:

• The Sharks snapped a 14-game winless streak in the series history, of which five took place at the NSU Soccer Complex, defeating the Spartans for the first time since Oct. 6, 2007.
• In addition, Nunez's goal ended a 546-minute scoreless streak, with Tampa recording shutouts in each of the five previous matchups. The last Sharks goal against the Spartans was scored by Viktor Jonsson in the 28^th minute on Oct. 16, 2013.
• The Sharks have also won five consecutive matches for the first time since 2007, when they began the season with seven wins in a row. Dating back to the end of last season, they have emerged victorious against nine of their last 10 opponents.
• The Sharks improve to 2-0 in conference play for the first time since 2006, their third year as members of the Sunshine State Conference.

 STATS OF THE NIGHT:

• Le Roux and the Sharks recorded their second shutout of the season, both of the 1-0 variety. During the course of the winning streak, Le Roux has a save percentage of .643 and a goals- against average of 1.00.
• Matching his career-high of 41 minutes played, Nunez, a freshman, scored the first goal of his collegiate career on just his second shot.
• Loibl has registered at least one point in five of the team's six games this season, including an assist in each of the last three. He now has a total of 13 points on the year, placing him second in the SSC.

UP NEXT:
The Sharks will take a step out of conference play when they host the Flagler Saints on Tuesday at 7:00 p.m. before facing an eight-match stretch of SSC opponents in the second half of the regular season. Last year, in St. Augustine, Fla., the Sharks won by a score of 5-1, with Darwin Lom notching the first goal and Ignacio Goya assisting on the final one. For complete coverage of the action, visit the schedule page on NSUSharks.com.