JACKSON, Miss. – Mississippi College squashed Nova Southeastern's postseason dreams a year ago, and appeared as if it may have the Sharks' number once again on Sunday after scoring just 2:28 into the match. However, history would not repeat itself, but instead would be rewritten, as the Sharks struck for five goals en route to a wild 5-1 upset over top-seeded Mississippi College to advance to the program's first-ever Sweet 16. Senior Emma Heikkila tallied two goals in the effort, with head coach John Constable's club now set to face familiar foe Embry-Riddle in the NCAA South Region final.

INSIDE THE MATCHUP:
Score: Nova Southeastern 5, Mississippi College 1
Records: Nova Southeastern (16-3-2), Mississippi College (15-3)
Location: Harper Davis Field | Jackson, Miss.
Get Social: Twitter - @NSU_WSoccer | Instagram - @nsu_wsoccer | Facebook - /nsusoccer

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• NSU faced an uphill battle less than three minutes into the match after the Choctaws' Emma Claire Furman scored directly off a corner kick.
• The Sharks needed just 2:18 to respond, though, as Hannah Christophe received a pass from Emily O'Connell and buried her team-leading 15^th goal of the season into the low, left corner of the net.
• The momentum shift proved to be massive, as the Choctaws tallied only one shot on goal the rest of the way. Still knotted up at 1-1 in the 13^th minute, Heikkila put the Sharks in front with a left-footed strike that beat the outstretched arms of MC keeper Gabby Kayser.
• MC nearly equalized in the 36^th minute. Luckily for the Sharks, however, the point-blank shot attempt sailed high and out of play.
• NSU relied on its strong defense until the 71^st minute when Heikkila struck again, this time drilling a free kick from about 25 yards out that left Kayser frozen in her tracks.
• Still not satisfied with a 3-1 cushion, incredible pressure by Adanna Edwards forced a turnover in MC's backend before the junior was able to then convert the ensuing one-on-one opportunity to add to the lead.
• The Sharks earned just one corner kick in the match, but capitalized on the chance in the 89^th minute, as Kaitlyn Chomko cleaned up the mess in the box and put the icing on the cake of the 5-1 win.   

BEYOND THE BOXSCORE:

• Prior to Sunday's match, the Choctaws had surrendered a total of five goals in their last 11 matches combined.
• NSU's five-goal output was the most in a single game since knocking off Tusculum 5-0 on Sept. 15.
• The Sharks now improve to 15-0-1 this season when either Christophe or Heikkila have scored.
• Both Christophe and Heikkila have now tallied 28 of NSU's combined 60 goals on the year.
• NSU fell to the Choctaws by a final score of 3-0 in the opening round of the 2018 NCAA Tournament.
• Both NSU and Embry-Riddle advanced to the NCAA South Region title game on Sunday despite being the No. 5 and No. 6 seeds in the six-team region.

STATS OF THE NIGHT:

• MC finished with a 10-8 edge in total shots, yet the Sharks held a 6-2 advantage in shots on goal.
• NSU was limited to only one corner kick on Sunday, as opposed to the six taken by the Choctaws.
• Despite not making a save, NSU starting keeper Shannon Hearty improved to 11-0-1 in net this season. Fellow keeper Natalie Robayna replaced Hearty in the second half, registering one save in her 45 minutes played.

UP NEXT:
NSU will now face Embry-Riddle on either Dec. 5 or 6 with a chance to reach the Elite Eight. In their lone meeting this season back on Nov. 2, the Sharks beat the Eagles 2-0 on the road. To stay up-to-date with the Sharks throughout the postseason, visit NSUSharks.com or follow them on Twitter @NSU_WSoccer.

This never gets old! pic.twitter.com/9KXxSWuifK

— NSU Women's Soccer (@NSU_WSoccer) November 24, 2019

Chomko seals the deal! pic.twitter.com/N6Ss4YGnOe

— NSU Women's Soccer (@NSU_WSoccer) November 24, 2019