FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Despite the baking heat, head coach
Matt Watts may be a new proponent for 11 a.m. kickoffs following the display his Nova Southeastern team put forth on Sunday. Just three days removed from their season-opening defeat, the Sharks cruised from start to finish en route to a 7-0 shutout over a quality Georgian Court side.
Michael Lawrence continued his strong start to his sophomore campaign with two goals, while
Sebastian Loibl added two of his own, in a match that was nearly decided in the first 10 minutes.
INSIDE THE MATCHUP:
Score: Nova Southeastern 7, Georgian Court 0
Records: Nova Southeastern (1-1), Georgian Court (0-2)
Location: NSU Soccer Complex | Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
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HOW IT HAPPENED:
- As was the case earlier in the week against St. Thomas (Fla.), the Sharks opened the scoring on a Quentin Aguilar-to-Lawrence combination, this time coming just 4:37 into the match.
- Just 2:15 later, Nova Southeastern doubled the early cushion when freshman Thomas Espero notched his first career goal after putting a rebounded Loibl shot into the back of the net.
- Following his near score, Loibl would soon convert on his first goal of the season in the ninth minute following a wide open look set-up by Juanchi Nunez.
- Already in front 3-0, Lawrence tacked on another in the 15th minute, this time sneaking behind the Georgian Court defense for a one-on-one opportunity thanks to a beautiful ball played over the top by Loibl.
- For what seemed like a "dry spell", Nova Southeastern would be held scoreless for a stretch of 34:48. However, after Aleks Berg was tripped up on the edge of the box, Isidoro Garia cashed in with a near-perfect free kick to extend the lead to 5-0.
- In the 61st minute, sophomore Christian Gorski joined in on the act, converting his first career goal as a Shark following a double-assist effort from Loibl and Leo Abdo.
- Loibl would hammer home one more score for good measure In the 63rd minute to put the icing on the first win of the season.
BEYOND THE BOXSCORE:
- The Sharks' seven goals Sunday marked the most since doing so against North Georgia back on Oct. 15, 2008.
- Keeper Titouan Le Roux registered his sixth shutout in his 13th start overall as a Shark.
STATS OF THE NIGHT:
- Nova Southeastern racked up 10 assists in the effort, the most in a single game since matching that total at Delta State on Sept. 4, 2005.
- Adding three assists to go along with his two goals, Loibl tied former Shark Stefano Fanfoni for the program, single-game record.
- Seven different Nova Southeastern players finished with two-plus points in the match – Loibl (7), Lawrence (4), Gorski (3), Abdo (2), Espero (2), Garcia (2) and Nunez (2).
- Of the Sharks' 18 total shots, 13 were on goal. Meanwhile, the Nova Southeastern backline limited the Lions to just one shot on target.
UP NEXT:
The Sharks will hit the road for a challenging two-game stretch, beginning with a Thursday matchup at Lenoir-Rhyne. For online coverage of the action, visit the
schedule page on NSUSharks.com or follow the Sharks on Twitter @NSU_MSoccer.