CEDARVILLE, Ohio – After 19 AMC victories in a row, Notre Dame's conference winning streak has come to a crushing end. In a dramatic match with a last-minute goal for Cedarville in regulation, the Falcons tied the Yellow Jackets, 2-2, on Saturday afternoon.  (Box)

Freshman midfielder #Tom Mellor# and striker #Luke Holmes# each had converted a set piece for a seemingly comfortable 2-0 Falcon lead. Less than a minute before the final whistle, however, Cedarville forward Joseph Mueller tied the game with a free kick. Fellow striker Matt Niemiec had scored the Yellow Jackets' first goal nine minutes earlier. Neither team managed to score in overtime.

The tie was a blow to Notre Dame's ambitions of defending the American Mideast Conference title. The Falcons (8-1-1, 3-0-1 AMC) had won the 2008 championship after sweeping all 11 opponents that year. In 2007, the Blue & White had stormed to the AMC North title by winning all five games.

After winning the first three AMC matches this season, the tie marked NDC's first loss of conference points in nearly three years. The Falcons last lost against Houghton, 1-0, on Oct. 28, 2006.

Saturday's contest started uncharacteristically uneventful from the Falcons' perspective. The Blue & White, who have scored 17 of their 47 goals within the first 25 minutes of play, only created one opportunity by midfielder #Jonathan Morris# during the first quarter of the match.

During the second part of the first period, Notre Dame picked up the pace, which subsequently led to several chances. But defender #Brody Ponder# (23rd minute), Holmes (24th and 28th), midfielder #Brendan Murphy# (24th), striker #Steven Kane# (39th) and defender #Dan Knight# (41st) could not capitalize on these opportunities.

Cedarville fired just one shot in the first half, and it looked as if both teams would carry a scoreless tie into the break.

With 1:15 on the clock, however, Mellor broke the deadlock with a free kick that smashed into the upper 90 of the Yellow Jackets' goal. It was the freshman's fifth netfinder of the season.

Twenty minutes into the second half, Holmes converted a penalty kick for his 16th goal of the season and a 2-0 Falcon lead.

Three minutes later, goalie #Craig Pickering# made his first save on a header by Cedarville's Niemiec.

The Yellow Jackets now created more opportunities and with 10 minutes left in the game, Niemiec found the back of the net after dribbling through the Falcon defense.

The match was now on razor's edge and with 51 seconds left to play, Cedarville crushed Notre Dame's would-be victory when Mueller struck a 25-yard free kick past Pickering to send the game into overtime.

In the heat of the emotional final seconds of regulation, Notre Dame Head Coach #Michael McBride# saw a red card.

In double-overtime, both teams came close to a golden goal. Holmes (96th and 99th minute), Mellor (100th), Kane (104th) and Murphy (107th) missed for the Falcons. Defender Stephen Schindler (92nd), midfielders James Twinem (95th and 103rd), Ryan Thurman (98th) and Eric Newman (98th) misfired for the Yellow Jackets.

Overall, Notre Dame outshot Cedarville, 17-13. Pickering made three saves.

"Cedarville worked very hard and we didn't put the game away when we had the chance. We're young though, and we'll learn from this," McBride said.

After four AMC games in a row, the Falcons will get a break from conference play. Notre Dame will next visit the Urbana Blue Knights on Saturday, Oct. 10. Kickoff is at 2:00 p.m.


NOTES FROM THE NEST …

UNCOMFORTABLE JACKETS: The Cedarville Yellow Jackets have been an unpleasant opponent for the Falcons over the past nine years. Going into Saturday's match, Notre Dame statistically had a slight advantage. The Blue & White's all-time record against the Yellow Jackets now is 5-4-2. Three of the Falcons' four losses against Cedarville occurred at the Yellow Jackets Soccer Complex. Notre Dame has won there only once before, 2-0, on Aug. 30, 2005. But the Falcons have won three of their last five matches against Cedarville. Last year, they narrowly beat the Yellow Jackets, 1-0, at Korb Field on Oct. 10.

OCTOBER HARVEST: October has historically been a good month for Notre Dame Men's Soccer. The Falcons' all-time record during October is 48-15-4 (.720). Last year, they harvested 13 victories, one tie and conceded only one loss for a .900 winning percentage.