HICKORY, N.C. – Behind a pair of early second-half goals from Aleks Berg and Jan Luca Ahillen, Nova Southeastern pulled away from Lenoir-Rhyne en route to a decisive 3-0 win Thursday in its first road match of the season. Sebastian Loibl erased the shutout in the 27^th minute before the two Sharks midfielders provided Nova Southeastern with some much-needed insurance on a night in which scoring chances proved tough to come by.    

INSIDE THE MATCHUP:
Score: Nova Southeastern 3, Lenoir-Rhyne 0
Records: Nova Southeastern (2-1), Lenoir-Rhyne (1-2)
Location: Bears Field | Hickory, N.C.
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HOW IT HAPPENED:

• The Sharks started a tad sluggish, as Lenoir-Rhyne controlled possession for much of the early going. In fact, Nova Southeasern was held without a shot until the 25^th minute when Michael Lawrence had his attempt poked away by Bears keeper Alexander Langer.
• The scoring chances were few and far between, with Nova Southeastern registering a total of only four shots in the first half. However, the Sharks managed to take advantage of the handful of opportunities presented. Playing through the whistle, Loibl hammered home the breakthrough goal in the 27^th minute after a group of Lenoir-Rhyne defenders hesitated in search of an offside call.
• Nova Southeastern clung to the 1-0 edge in the 38^th minute when Lenior-Rhyne's Goncalo Garcia just about curled a shot in from roughly 20 yards out. Yet, despite trailing 10-4 in the shot department, the Sharks entered the break in front.
• In search of some separation, the Sharks found some breathing room in the 58^th minute. Playing from the back through goalkeeper Titouan Le Roux, Nova Southeastern strung together a number of crisp passes until Loibl hit A. Berg in stride for a right-footed strike in the 58^th minute.
• The momentum continued to grow, too, as the Sharks needed a mere 3:40 to add another goal, stretching the cushion to 3-0 after Ahillen converted his first goal of the season on a feed from Henrik Berg.
• From there, Le Roux and the rest of the backline would take care of business, limiting the Bears to just two shots over the final third of the match.

BEYOND THE BOXSCORE:

• Thursday's match marked the first all-time meeting between both programs.
• After missing the first two games of the season, H. Berg, Matty Cornish and Tino Miguez each made their Nova Southeastern debuts in the first half.
• Since allowing a goal in the 36^th minute against St. Thomas (Fla.), the Sharks have now held their opponents scoreless for a stretch of 234:41.
• Dating back to 2018, Nova Southeastern has now won its last three regular-season, road matches by a combined margin of 11-0.

STATS OF THE NIGHT:

• Lenoir-Rhyne owned a 15-8 advantage in total shots, but the Sharks were able to double up the Bears in shots on goal, holding a 4-2 edge.
• With three more points in Thursday's victory, Loibl now leads the Sunshine State Conference with 10 overall.

UP NEXT:
The Sharks will continue their North Carolina swing this Saturday when they square off against Wingate at 12 p.m. ET. For online coverage of the action, visit the schedule page on NSUSharks.com or follow the Sharks on Twitter @NSU_MSoccer.