FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – The Sharks of Nova Southeastern, under the direction of head coach Matt Watts, make their long-awaited return to the pitch on Thurs., Sept. 2, marking their first competitive match since the 2019 Sunshine State Conference Semifinal.
Watts enters his fifth season as the bench boss at NSU, and has led the program to back-to-back SSC Semifinal appearances.
“At this point, we are just happy and appreciative that we are playing a regular season,” said Watts. “It has been an incredibly frustrating and challenging time for the staff and the players, but I cannot fault the team’s work and effort over the last year, both in training and in the classroom.”
NSU begins the 2021 season with a trio of preseason matches. First, the Sharks will travel to Miami to take on the Panthers of Florida International on Wed., Aug. 18. The Sharks then face Florida National (8/21) at the NSU Soccer Complex before concluding the preseason with a road matchup against Daytona State (8/27).
NSU kicks off the regular season with four consecutive home matches, starting the season versus Mississippi College (9/2), before playing St. Thomas (Fla.) (9/7) and Atlantis (9/10). The Sharks will then conclude the homestand with a non-conference matchup against Barry (9/14) prior to traveling to Rollins (9/18) for the first road game of the fall.
Watts will lead NSU into SSC play, beginning with a home tilt against Lynn (9/22), where the Sharks and Fighting Knights will face-off in a rematch of the 2019 SSC Tournament Semifinals.
“We are excited to be competing in the top conference in the country and NCAA Division II,” added Watts. “We are eager and enthusiastic to play some tough out-of-conference and regional games.”
The Sharks then take on both Florida Southern (9/25) and Florida Tech (10/2) in SSC road action. NSU returns home for a three-match stretch, playing Palm Beach Atlantic (10/6), Tampa (10/9), and Shaw (10/13).
Three of the final five matches of the 2021 regular season are on the road for NSU, as the Sharks take on Eckerd in St. Petersburg (10/16) and Barry, in Miami Shores (10/20), before returning home to take on Saint Leo on Sat., Oct. 23. The final road game of the season is in Daytona Beach, in a clash with Embry-Riddle on Sat., Oct. 30.
The 2021 regular-season finale pits NSU against Rollins in Fort Lauderdale on Tue., Nov. 2, at 6 p.m.
The SSC Tournament is scheduled to begin on Mon., Nov. 11, and will culminate with the SSC Tournament Championship on Sun., Nov. 17.
To stay up-to-date with the Sharks throughout the season, follow them on Instagram and Twitter at @NSU_MSoccer.
