CANTON, Ohio-- Notre Dame churned out a season-high seven goals Saturday to win an American Mideast Conference (AMC) road test at Malone. The nationally-ranked Falcons got a pair of goals from both Steven Kane (Jeromesville, Ohio) and Luke Holmes (Parma, Ohio) as part of a 7-0 win in Canton.

The victory for No. 19 Notre Dame is their seventh straight, and it keeps the Falcons undefeated in league play. NDC is now 10-1 overall and 5-0 in the AMC. The 10-1 record marks the Falcons' best-ever 11-match start to a season.

Kane started NDC off with a goal in the 21st minute on an assist by freshman defender Daniel Knight (Abergele, Wales).  Junior forward George Kephart (Parma, Ohio) picked up his seventh goal on the year less than 6 minutes later.

NDC led the Pioneers, 2-0, at halftime and by the same score up until the 53-minute mark. From that point on, a five-goal barrage sealed the victory.  

Senior forward James Wood (Barnsley, England) tallied his first goal of the season to start the second half scoring.  Kephart provided the assist.

Holmes, an NDC newcomer who now leads the Falcons in points with 22 (8G, 6A), figured in each of Notre Dame's final four netfinders.  In the 60th minute, he converted his seventh goal of the year, assisted by Wood.  Six minutes later, Holmes provided the set-up for Kane's second of the game. 

Holmes found the net again in the 73rd minute on a Chris Porter (Ruskington, England) pass.  The night's scoring came to a close six minutes later as junior midfielder Luke Jackson (Burnley, England) scored his second of the season on Holmes' second assist of the match.

Freshman goalkeeper Alex Klein (Frankfurt, Germany) made two saves to record his second straight shutout.

“We are definitely excited about winning this match,” said head coach Michael “Mac” McBride.  “Anytime you can win on the road, it bodes well for your confidence.  We will use this victory as a springboard for our two home matches this week.”

The victory for NDC vaults the No. 19 Falcons into a tie for first place in the AMC. Both Notre Dame (5-0) and Roberts Wesleyan-N.Y. (5-2) have earned 15 points in ythe circuit standings.

The Falcon men return to action this Wednesday (Oct. 8), when they host Ashland at Korb Field.  Kickoff is set for 7:00 p.m.

NOTES FROM THE NEST…

SHUT EYE:  Saturday's shutout victory was Notre Dame's second in a row and fourth this season. NDC collected eight shutout wins a year ago when they posted a 14-3-2 mark. The Falcon defense has not yielded more than one goal in any match this season.

SIX-SHOOTERS: NDC's victory at Malone runs the Falcons' season road record to an unblemished 6-0. NDC is 2-1 in neutral site matches and 2-0 at home this season. The win also marks Notre Dame's third straight win over the Pioneers. NDC is now 3-1 all-time against Malone.

FULL NET: Notre Dame's seven goals scored Saturday are the most in a single match since Sept. 9, 2007, when they found nylon eight times against St. Francis (Ill.). Their seven netfinders in a road match tie a program record. The Falcons also scored seven at Daemen (N.Y.) on Sept. 25, 2004.

LET THERE BE LIGHT : Notre Dame's next two matches will be at home, on Wednesday (vs. Ashland) and Friday (vs. Cedarville). The first of those matches will be part of the Falcons' annual "Floodlight Madness" - a special home match under the lights featuring giveaway items and numerous youth soccer groups in attendance.