FT. LAUDERDALE, Fla. – The Embry-Riddle men's soccer team went on the road to take on Nova Southeastern on Wednesday evening, and despite a 1-1 halftime score, fell to the Sharks, 2-1. ERAU dropped to 1-3 on the season while the Sharks improved to 4-2 overall.
 
NSU out-shot the Eagles 13-6 with a 5-3 advantage in shots on goal. Magnus Magnusson registered the lone ERAU score of the night thanks to a penalty kick in the first period while Jeff Bone made three saves in the losing effort.
 
The first half was a back-and-forth affair as neither team waited to feel the other out, but rather went on the attack immediately. It was the Sharks that struck first when Nate Bladecki received a pass from Flavio Devoto at the edge of the penalty area, turned towards goal and fired the first shot of the game past Bone in the eighth minute of play.
 
Just a few moments later the Sharks earned a corner that led to a Stefano Fanfoni shot that was blocked away by the Eagle defense.
 
Midway through the 13^th minute, Ali Amiri and a NSU defender were in a race for a free ball at the edge of the NSU box and the NSU defender was whistled for a foul, resulting in an awarded penalty kick to the Blue and Gold. Magnusson stepped up and buried the PK into the corner of the goal to knot the match at 1-1.
 
The two squads traded attacks and counterattacks over the final 30 minutes of the first period with neither team finding a second score, despite several half-chances.
 
The best opportunity for the Sharks to add their second goal came in the 30^th minute when Faycal Oulahbib found himself clear of Eagle defenders, but his shot was saved nicely by Bone, who dove to his left to make the stop.
 
The second period began in much the same way as the first, this time the visitors taking the first shot of the half, but Daniel McClintock's attempt was saved by Taylor Bailey.
 
Under eight minutes into the half, Daniel Gylfason was issued a yellow card, and on the ensuing free kick, Nova Southeastern pushed the ball forward to Oulahbib, who then found Stefano Fanfoni at the top of the box and Fanfoni finished nicely into the upper-right corner to break the deadlock and give NSU a 2-1 advantage.
 
The next 25 minutes were controlled by the Sharks as the Blue and Gold struggled to keep possession with NSU registering the next four shots, including one by Juan Rodriguez that was destined for net before Bone pushed it over the crossbar for a Shark corner.
 
ERAU mounted its best offensive threat of the second half in the 79^th minute when substitute Joao Belmonte raced forward to the ball where the NSU keeper converged with him and a NSU defender. The ball ricocheted towards the right side of the goal and Belmonte got a foot on it, attempting to redirect it into the goal, but his shot found the near post before being cleared.
 
Embry-Riddle threw nearly everyone forward in the last stages of the contest, but couldn't get a shot off as NSU held on for the 2-1 win.
 
The Eagles will return to Daytona Beach to play host to Sunshine State Conference foe Eckerd on Saturday, Sept. 26 with kickoff slated for 7 p.m.