FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Kaitlyn Chomko notched the 17^th hat trick in program history, as Nova Southeastern returned to the win column Sunday with a 3-0 shutout of Florida Memorial. The sophomore tallied two of her three scores within a 76-second span in the second half, improving the Sharks all-time record to 5-0 against the Lions.

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

• Less than 24 hours removed from their Sunshine State Conference-opening defeat at Tampa, the Sharks started a tad slow on Sunday until Chomko injected some life into the team with her first career goal in the 32^nd minute.
• Still leading 1-0 midway through the second half, Bella Santini nearly doubled the lead, yet saw her near-goal strike off the right post before being cleared by the Florida Memorial defense.
• The post proved to be the Lions' friend once again the 78^th minute, this time turning away a right-footed missile from freshman Morgan Masters.
• Chomko would soon bury the Lions, though, with two welcomed goals down the stretch of regulation. In the 86^th minute, the Chicago native forced a turnover deep in the Florida Memorial side before beating the keeper one-on-one for her second score of the night.
• Just as the crowd settled back in, Tori Hollman played a beautifully lofted ball into the box towards Chomko, who rose above the defense for the header goal to complete the hat trick.

BEYOND THE BOXSCORE:

• In their five all-time meetings, the Sharks have now outscored the Lions by a combined 23-1 margin.
• Chomko's hat trick marked the first in program history by a player who didn't start the match.
• Entering Sunday, Chomko had yet to score in her nine previous career appearances.
• The hat trick was also the first recorded in a shutout win since Sept. 28, 1998.

 STATS OF THE NIGHT:

• The Sharks surrendered just two shots on the night, while accounting for 20 of their own.
• Sophomore keeper Shannon Hearty collected two saves in the shutout.

UP NEXT:
Nova Southeastern will return to SSC action next Wednesday at 7:00 p.m. against Embry-Riddle. The Sharks knocked off the Eagles 3-2 in their most recent meeting on Sept. 20, 2017. For complete coverage of the action, visit the schedule page on NSUSharks.com or follow the Sharks on Twitter @NSU_WSoccer.