LYNDHURST, Ohio – Notre Dame's seven-match win streak came to an end Wednesday night at Korb Field, as Ashland topped the No. 14 Falcons, 2-1.
After a scoreless first half, Notre Dame (10-2, 5-0 AMC) scored in the 59th minute of the match. Ashland (12-0, 4-0 GLIAC) rallied for two goals in the final 20 minutes of the contest to earn the 2-1 win, despite having relatively few scoring chances.
Notre Dame started the match by peppering Ashland goalkeeper Ryan Cruise (Sr./Ormskirk, England) with 11 shots in the first 15 minutes of play. Nothing connected, however, and the two teams played a scoreless first period with NDC maintaining a 15-5 advantage in shots.
Notre Dame went up, 1-0, on a goal by freshman Jack Fitzgerald's (Manchester, England) goal at 58:30, a 24-yard rifle shot over Cruise's left shoulder into the right side of the net.
Ashland answered 13 minutes later when freshman midfielder Kenny Hewitt (Brighton, England) dribbled through the Notre Dame backfield before whipping a grounder into the lower left corner for his third goal of the season.
The Eagles then got the game-winner from Ross Ashley (Ashland, Ohio) in the 86th minute, when the junior midfielder banged home a cross. The shot on goal was just AU's fifth of the match and one of only two quality scoring chances of the 90-minute contest.
That the Falcons lost despite piling up three or four times as many quality chances did not escape Notre Dame head coach Michael “Mac” McBride:
"We had all the sausages we could want, we had more than enough bacon, and we had plenty of scrambled, too. But, even though we had all the ingredients, we couldn't finish a medium sized breakfast tonight. However, when we do decide to get clinical, we'll be putting away a four-course dinner. Of that, I have no doubt."
For the match, the Falcons outshot the Eagles, 25-11.
The loss for Notre Dame was their first since Sept. 12. The seven consecutive wins since that date now stand as an NDC program record.
Ashland has not lost this season. Their win Wednesday marked their seventh one-goal margin of victory in 2008.
NDC will look to bounce back from their disappointing loss on Friday when they host Cedarville. Kickoff is slated for 7 p.m.
