FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – In the midst of an uncharacteristic week in which the Nova Southeastern campus remained closed through Wednesday due to Hurricane Dorian, fourth-year head coach Matt Watts and the Sharks men's soccer team must focus on what lies ahead as the start of the regular season approaches Thursday at 7 p.m. against St. Thomas (Fla.).

The campus closure restricted all team activities since Saturday, although the club was able to return to the field for a light session late Wednesday. Watts and company have remained upbeat, though, coming off a positive showing last Thursday night in its final preseason tune-up versus ASA Miami. Another positive is the Sharks' familiarity with its first opponent, having faced the Bobcats in four of the past five seasons (2017's match was cancelled due to Hurricane Irma).

"I know both teams are in the same position right now," said Watts. "We have to hit the ground running right away. We can only control what we can control."

Nova Southeastern needed a bit of drama to escape St. Thomas with a come-from-behind, 4-3 overtime victory the last time the two sides met. The Sharks overcame a 3-1 halftime deficit before all-region forward Darwin Lom put the final touches on the win with the golden goal in the 92^nd minute.

Lom, however, is one of the handful of impact players gone from a year ago, along with the likes of defender Arns Carrenard and midfielders Bradley Fountain and Igncacio Goya. Still, expectations won't be lacking with captains Jan Luca Ahillen and Curtis Thorn still in the fold, in addition to Aleks Berg and Sebastian Liobl, the latter entering his junior season after becoming the program's first All-American since 2004 in 2018.

"The success is hard to maintain year in and year out, but I've challenged our guys," said Watts. "We're in an incredibly tough conference. We finished fifth in the region last year. In every other sport, fifth in the region would've gotten us in the national tournament. We received a couple first-place votes (in the Sunshine State Conference Preseason Coaches Poll) this year, which is massive for our confidence, but we just have to focus on our first game."

The Sharks won't need long to gauge where they stand as a team, bracing for play within the always-demanding SSC with additional early-season clashes against Georgian Court, Lenoir-Rhyne and Wingate all before the midway point of September. For a program, though, that has its sights set on its first NCAA Tournament appearance since joining Division II, Watts insists these are the tests that'll strengthen the club come November.

"We need to perform against those teams," he said. "Competing against top-quality sides is really important. It gets us good experience, and gets us ready for the SSC. At the end of the day, we want to compete against the best teams in the country. In order to be the best, we have to compete against the best, as cliché as that may sound. Our guys want that challenge. That's where our program's at now."

As part of a season-opening Thirsty Thursday promotion, free lemonade will be available for all fans in attendance throughout Thursday's game.

For online coverage of the action, visit the schedule page on NSUSharks.com or follow the Sharks on Twitter @NSU_MSoccer.