NSU Newsroom
SharkBytes
Horizons
This version of NSU News has been archived as of February 28, 2019. To search through archived articles, visit nova.edu/search. To access the new version of NSU News, visit news.nova.edu.
This version of SharkBytes has been archived as of February 28, 2019. To search through archived articles, visit nova.edu/search. To access the new version of SharkBytes, visit sharkbytes.nova.edu.
SSC Soccer Championships Slated for ESPN Broadcast
November 8
The Sunshine State Conference announces a partnership with the NCAA for live ESPN3 coverage of the 2015 SSC men’s and women’s soccer championship matches. Both games will take place on Sunday, November 8 at campus sites. Women will play at 1 p.m., men at 3:30 p.m.
As part of the NCAA’s media rights package, the SSC men’s and women’s soccer championship matches will be fully produced and distributed on ESPN3 by the NCAA. The SSC’s foray into the ESPN family of networks came in March 2015 when the league’s basketball tournament championship games were carried on ESPN3. That deal was initiated by the conference office directly with the worldwide leader in sports.
“We are excited to showcase our phenomenal student-athletes, coaches, and institutions on this national platform” stated Sunshine State Conference Commissioner, Ed Pasque. “This initiative is directly in line with the SSC’s strategic approach to content distribution and is a testament to the quality soccer in this league.”
Last year’s NCAA Division-II soccer national championships matches at the Fall Festival in Louisville featured two SSC teams, Lynn University men and Rollins College women. The Lynn Fighting Knights went on to win the national title, while the Rollins Tars finished the season as runner up. Lynn’s national title was the third for the school in men’s soccer and eighth for the league in men’s soccer. The SSC also holds five titles in women’s soccer, with the last coming in 2007 (Tampa). Rollins’ runner up finish marks the eighth time in men’s or women’s soccer a SSC school has finished second in the national tournament.
“I am really excited about the opportunity for the SSC soccer programs to be showcased on ESPN3 by the NCAA” commented Fran Reidy, Saint Leo University Athletic Director. Reidy, a former SSC soccer coach and past chair of the NCAA Division II Championship Committee also noted, “We have a great roster of coaches and outstanding men’s and women’s programs from top to bottom. There is already a buzz about the championship matches around the league and between the student-athletes.”
Barry University women, Nova Southeastern University women, and Lynn University men currently rank within the Top-25 soccer teams in the country. This season, men’s programs from Saint Leo University, Florida Institute of Technology, Barry and Eckerd College along with women’s programs from Rollins College, University of Tampa, and Saint Leo University have earned NSCAA Top-25 rankings.