LYNDHURST, Ohio – Notre Dame got back on the winning foot, as the 14th-ranked Falcons defeated Cedarville, 1-0, in an American Mideast Conference (AMC) match on Friday night at Korb Field.
NDC (11-2, 6-0 AMC) scored the only goal of the match in the 37th minute on one of their few quality scoring chances. The Yellow Jackets (5-7-1, 2-3-1 AMC) seemed to have the better of the chances, but the Falcon defense was up to the challenge.
After some back and forth play to start the match, junior goalkeeper Craig Pickering (Newcastle, England) saved the game for the moment with a point blank save in the 23rd minute. Cedarville set-up a one-time volley from the middle of the six-yard box, but Pickering was up for the challenge.
Notre Dame struck first late in the first half as freshman forward Luke Holmes (Oldham, England) was able to corral a cross from the right flank off the foot of senior forward James Wood (Barnsley, England), spin around the goalkeeper, and place the ball into the lower right corner of the goal. This was Holmes' team-leading ninth goal of the season.
Cedarville continued to put the pressure on the Falcons with several close calls late in the first half. However, NDC was able to maintain and take the 1-0 lead into the break.
The second half featured several good opportunities for both teams, but the defenses and goalkeepers kept the offenses at bay.
Pickering made another great save in the 72nd minute off an unobstructed shot from the 18-yard box to preserve the win. He finished with five saves for the match, and CU sophomore goalkeeper Kevin Bender (Lebanon, Pa.) tallied six saves.
The Yellow Jackets put heavy pressure on with their offense in the final five minutes, but Notre Dame was able to turn back all of their advances. Freshman Daniel Knight (Abergele, Wales), sophomore Jacob Child (Woking, England), senior Andrew Carr (Preston, England), and junior Jonathan Morris (Huddersfield, England) formed the wall on the backline to pitch the shutout.
"Cedarville gave us the toughest home match we've had this season," said head coach Michael “Mac” McBride. "They had a great game plan and they stuck to it. This was a huge win for us and sets us up well for a full week's worth of training."
Notre Dame outshot the Yellow Jackets, 15-10, for the match.
NDC returns to action next Saturday, October 18th, as they travel to North Canton to take on Walsh University in another AMC tilt. Match time is set for 7:00 p.m.
NEWS FROM THE NEST…
RUBBER MATCH: Prior to tonight's match, the NDC-CU series record was even with each team winning four and tying once. They had also each scored ten goals apiece in the series…This was the second straight meeting that ended in a score of 1-0. Last time they met, however, Cedarville defeated NDC (10/7/06)…The loss ended Cedarville's four-game winning streak.
