DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – In its most important game yet this season, the Nova Southeastern women's soccer team came to play, earning its second consecutive victory by a 2-0 score - this time ruining Embry-Riddle's Senior Night on Saturday. The win helps the Sharks keep pace in the Sunshine State Conference race, as head coach
John Constable's team continues to strive for an SSC regular season title and home-field advantage throughout the SSC Tournament.
INSIDE THE MATCHUP:
Score: Nova Southeastern 2, Embry-Riddle 0
Records: Nova Southeastern (12-2-1, 6-1-1 SSC), Embry-Riddle (8-4-1, 6-2-1 SSC)
Location: ERAU Soccer Stadium | Daytona Beach, Fla.
Get Social: Twitter - @NSU_WSoccer | Instagram - @nsu_wsoccer | Facebook - /nsusoccer
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Defense reigned supreme throughout much of the match, but especially in the first half, which saw a total of just five shots combined from the two teams. Adanna Edwards took the first shot for the Sharks in the eighth minute, but it was saved by Eagles keeper Dana Ruchti.
- After several minutes without any action, the Eagles attempted their lone shot for the half, a header that went wide left. The Sharks followed with a flurry of three shots in less than two minutes shortly thereafter, but came up empty, as Emma Heikkila hit the post and Chama Silva had one blocked during the span. The rest of the half, nearly twenty minutes of play, went off without a single shot.
- The second half was only three minutes old before Hannah Christophe broke the scoreless tie from 22 yards out.
- Just 10 minutes later, Christophe took a cross from the right side of the field for her second goal of the night to put the game away.
BEYOND THE BOXSCORE:
- The defense continues to improve on its own single-season shutout record, posting its 12th this season in just 15 matches. The previous record, broken in the scoreless tie against Tampa, was held by the 1998 team, who had nine in 22 games.
- Christophe tallied her first multi-goal effort since breaking the single-match record with five scores against Florida Memorial.
- Christophe also moved into fourth place all-time in program history with 29 career goals, moving Heikkila and Alexis Hernandez (2006-10), who are both tied with 28, down to fifth.
- Heikkila, meanwhile, broke a four-way tie with Christophe, Mandi Adams (1997-99) and Stephanie Quinones (2005-08), and is now all alone with 16 career assists, second all-time to Shurell Burton, who had 18 in her four years from 2005-08.
- Both Christophe and Heikkila are now above 70 career points, with Christophe fourth in program history at 73 and Heikkila right behind with 72.
- Among the all-time single season rankings, Christophe's 12 goals and 29 points, both personal bests, each place fifth, while Heikkila's sixth assist of the year puts her in a tie for sixth place.
STATS OF THE NIGHT:
- The Sharks defense stood strong once again, allowing just four shots – one in the first half and three after halftime - none of which were on goal. The offense, meanwhile, tallied nine shots in the match, with one out of four on goal in the first half and four of five in the second.
- Christophe, Heikkila and Silva had two shots each to lead the team, and Christophe, connecting on both, was the only player with multiple shots on goal.
- Shannon Hearty played all 90 minutes in net for her second solo shutout of the season, improving her record to 8-0 overall, and lowering her goals-against average to a measly 0.13 in over 700 minutes of game time. She has also not allowed a single goal in nearly 400 minutes in conference play.
UP NEXT:
After passing their toughest test yet, the Sharks will be faced with another tall task when they host the SSC-leading Rollins Tars on Nov. 5. A win would keep the Sharks in the running for the conference title, while a loss would likely result in hosting a quarterfinal match in the conference tournament on Nov. 11. For complete coverage of the action, visit the
schedule page on NSUSharks.com or follow the Sharks on Twitter @NSU_WSoccer.
