Newly Nationally-Ranked Women’s Soccer to Face No. 7 Barry on Wednesday

The Nova Southeastern University women’s soccer team has earned a national ranking for the first time in four years, No. 15 in the NSCAA coaches’ poll, and will face their second ranked opponent in a row on Wednesday in the Sunshine State Conference leaders, No. 7 Barry.

The Sharks (11-2-0, 4-1-0 SSC) were last ranked after the second week of the 2011 season, released on Sept. 13, when they were 21st. The No. 15 selection on Tuesday is the team’s highest since the 2007 season, when they were as high as 10th in the country. In addition, the NSCAA also ranked them No. 2 in their latest South Region poll, also released on Tuesday (the first official NCAA region rankings will be released on Wednesday afternoon). Now, the team will put a program record-tying eight-game win streak on the line Wednesday night when they travel to Miami Shores to take on the Bucs (9-2-1, 5-1-1 SSC).

NSU’s eighth consecutive win came over then-No. 16 Rollins on Saturday at home, 2-1 in overtime. For her goal and assist on the game-winner that night, and two goals in a 3-2 road win the Wednesday prior against Florida Tech (including the game-winner there as well), Sierra Lelii (R-Sr., Seminole, Fla.) earned her fourth SSC Offensive Player of the Week award of the season.

The Sharks have 12 points in the conference standings, tying them with the two teams they defeated last week, and putting them a point behind Tampa, against whom they already earned a 1-0 win over to ironically start this current streak. Barry’s 16 points puts them atop the SSC, though Wednesday is their final league match of the season while the Sharks will have another, Saturday at Eckerd.

After a rare two-game skid, the Bucs won four straight before a 1-1 draw Saturday against Tampa. Lavinia Nkomo (eight) and Shanice Robe (seven) have combined for 15 of the team’s 24 goals, tying for second and fifth in the league, respectively. Amanda Traynor is second in the conference in assists with seven, trailing the eight posted by Samantha Gestido (R-Sr., Hialeah, Fla.) of the Sharks, while Nkomo also has four assists, giving her 20 points, second behind Lelii’s 37. Paula Forero has played every second of every Bucs’ match in the net, saving nearly 80 percent of the shots against her (79.2) and allowing just 10 goals, an average of 0.8 per, also second in the SSC.

Lelii continues to post SSC Player of the Year-worthy numbers, with her 17 goals nine better than second place, and her five game-winners still atop the ledger; her 1.308 goals per game is nearly twice better than the 0.667 of the three players in second; and her 37 points, a new single-season NSU record, is 17 more than Nkomo, with her 2.85 per game topping Nkomo’s 1.67. Lelii is now third nationally in goals per game, fifth in total goals, total points, and points per game, and ninth in game-winning goals. Gestido is seventh in total assists and eighth in assists per game in all of DII, with again, both marks leading the SSC.

Sharks’ goalkeeper Amanda Kopale (R-Jr., Cape Coral, Fla.) is third in the SSC in save percentage (82.6) and fourth in goals-against average (1.114). The only NSU players to appear and start in every match this season are two backline defenders, Lauren Paul (R-Sr., Stockton, Calif.) and Cydney Niedermeyer (Jr., Fort Myers, Fla.), and each surpassed 1,000 minutes on Saturday, at 1,072 and 1,063, respectively.

As a team, NSU continues to lead the league in scoring average (2.923), total goals (38) and goals per game (2.923), and total points (102) and points per game (7.85), and they are tied with Barry in total assists with 26. Their scoring margin of the season of +20 is six better than the nearest schools, Barry and FIT, and nationally, they have six top-25 category rankings.

Live video for Wednesday’s match in Miami Shores can be found HERE, with live statistics HERE.