FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Unbeaten over its final six matches of the regular season, the Nova Southeastern men's soccer team (10-3-2, 6-3-1 SSC) will look to parlay that current momentum into three more wins and a Sunshine State Conference title, beginning with Monday's SSC Tournament quarterfinal matchup against Florida Southern (6-7-3, 5-4-1 SSC).
Kickoff is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. from the NSU Soccer Complex.
Following consecutive home losses to both Palm Beach Atlantic and Tampa, the Sharks sat at 5-3-1 in the thick of league play. Since then, however, NSU has rattled off five wins and a draw, outscoring its opponents by a combined 15-6 margin, to earn the tourney's No. 4 seed while reaching double-digit victories in the process.
Matty Cornish has spearheaded an NSU offense that ranks second in the SSC, averaging just a shade under two goals per game. His eight goals lead the team and are tied for fifth-most in the league. While he came up empty in the latest NSU win versus Rolins, Cornish has played arguably the largest role in the Sharks' success down the stretch, scoring in five straight from Oct. 13-30.
Similar to what Cornish means to the Sharks, Florida Southern's James Meehan is the player that stirs the drink for the fifth-seeded Moccasins, as the FSC forward enters Monday with nine goals to his credit, including a four-goal performance against Eckerd back on Oct. 20.
It was also Meehan that scored the Mocs' lone goal in the first meeting this season between both sides. Meehan's penalty kick gave FSC a 1-0 edge entering halftime, yet the Sharks pulled away late thanks to two goals by Milos Christoforou in the final 7:19 to secure the 3-1 triumph.
The winner this go-around will advance to Thursday's SSC Tournament semifinal at Palm Beach Atlantic.
For complete coverage of Monday's action, visit the schedule page on NSUSharks.com, or follow the Sharks on Instagram and Twitter at @NSU_MSoccer.
