In its first game since September 5th, Nova Southeastern upsets No. 22 Embry-Riddle.
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – In its first match since Sept. 5, Nova Southeastern had the look of a team trying to regain its footing in the early going on Wednesday. However, the second half was a completely different story as the Sharks put on an electric offensive display en route to a 3-2 upset victory on the road over No. 22 Embry-Riddle. Freshman Laura Pedersen gave the Sharks the first bit of momentum in the second half with her first career goal before Alexys Nowak and Myriah Troutman each provided a goal apiece to withstand a last-minute charge by the Eagles.
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HOW IT HAPPENED:
Both defenses dominated play throughout the first 45 minutes as the Sharks logged the match's lone shot on goal in the opening half.
The second half was well worth the price of admission, though. In the 53rd minute, Hannah Christophe nearly broke through for the match's first score, but had her shot attempt cleared off the line by an Embry-Riddle defender at the last moment. Roughly 10 minutes later, Bailey Corbin sent a header just wide of the net as Nova Southeastern began to mount some consistent pressure on the Eagles' backline.
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In the 66th minute, the Sharks' effort finally paid dividends when Monica Orteu located Pedersen on a corner kick to quiet the crowd in Embry-Riddle's home opener.
Embry-Riddle would retaliate back in the 74th minute after Ragnheidur Gardarsdottir converted a long ball over the top from teammate Emmie Johansson.
Maintaining their poise, the Sharks returned the favor just 50 seconds later when Nowak notched her second goal of the season to put Nova Southeastern back in front. Entered into the match for Christophe in the 76th minute, Troutman made her presence quickly felt by adding some much-needed insurance on a cross into the six-yard box from Nowak.
81' | NSU 3, ERAU 1 - THE SHARKS OFFENSE HAS COME ALIVE! TROUTMAN STRETCHES THE LEAD LATE! pic.twitter.com/xzJIU4xyx6
— NSU Women's Soccer (@NSU_WSoccer) September 21, 2017
Embry-Riddle would cut Nova Southeastern's cushion in half in the 87th minute, but the last-minute push proved to be too little too late.
STATS OF THE NIGHT:
- Pedersen's score ignited a run of five combined goals within a span of 21:06.
- Prior to Wednesday's match, Embry-Riddle had allowed just one goal in four contests this season.
- Following just two shots in the first half, Nova Southeastern registered 10 in the final 45 minutes, including four on goal.
- Goalkeeper Jordan Lentz corralled three saves in the effort, running her career wins total to 13.
BEYOND THE BOXSCORE:
- Christophe, the 2016 Sunshine State Conference Freshman of the Year, made her season debut by logging 72 minutes on Wednesday.
- The Sharks' victory over the Eagles marked their first against a ranked opponent in 2017, and third overall in the regular season under head coach John Constable.
- Nova Southeastern's 5-0 start is the program's best since it began 8-0 back in 2006.
- Constable has now used five different starting lineups in as many matches this season.
UP NEXT:
Nova Southeastern will face the tough task of battling its second consecutive ranked opponent when it returns home to face No. 25 Flagler this Saturday at 5 p.m. ET. For complete coverage of the action, visit the schedule page on NSUSharks.com.
