LYNDHURST, Ohio -- Notre Dame opened the 2009 campaign on a high note with a 6–0 victory over the Davenport (Mich.) Panthers at Korb Field on Tuesday night.
Junior forward #Steven Kane# tallied three goals and sophomore forward #Luke Holmes# added a pair, as the Blue & White dominated the action, outshooting Davenport, 32-3. The Falcons, ranked No. 7 by NAIA coaches in their preseason poll, are now 6-1-2 in their nine season openers.
The Falcons got off to a quick start when Holmes snatched a blocked shot by midfielder #Luke Jackson# inside the Panthers' box to put it into the top right corner with 1:57 on the clock. Sixteen minutes later Holmes added his second of the night with a 19-yard shot into the lower left corner. It was Holmes' 19th goal in 21 games for the Falcons.
Before the end of the first half, fellow striker Steven Kane added two more goals to the score sheet. In the 33rd minute he nodded in a throw-in by defender #Johnny Morris#. Eleven minutes later he found the back of the net with a shot from 15 yards out.
Kane topped off his performance with the first hat trick of his collegiate career, when he picked up a through ball by defender #Brody Ponder# to put it past Panthers' goalie James Gilpin in the 72nd. It was the final goal of the night as #Luke Jackson# had headed away a cross by #Johnny Morris# only five minutes into the second half to make it 5-0 at the time.
The Falcons' senior goalie #Craig Pickering# had a quiet night with Notre Dame controlling the action. Pickering made his first save of the season in the final minute of the game.
“Coming out of a game with no cards and a clean sheet against a good team is encouraging,” said NDC Head Coach #Michael “Mac” McBride#. “But, we all know the season is only going to get more difficult when we hit the road later this week.”
NOTES FROM THE NEST…
FALCON FIRE POWER: The 6-0 victory over Davenport marked Notre Dame's largest margin of victory since their 7-0 defeat of Malone on Oct. 4, 2008. The Falcons also recorded their highest number of shots in a single game since that same match against the Pioneers (37 shots).
FALCON FIRSTS: Seven Falcon freshmen celebrated their collegiate debut against Davenport. Midfielders #Ashley Young#, #Tom Mellor# and defender #Brody Ponder# started for NDC. Defender #Jacob Sheppard#, midfielders #Kyle Hayes#, #Josip Samardzija# and forward #Christian Earnest# came in as a substitutes. Transfers #Brendan Murphy# and #Jordan Zapotechne# also made their debut in Blue & White.
HOME SWEET HOME: Tuesday's game marked the fifth time that Notre Dame has opened a season with a home match. NDC is 3-1-1 in their home openers. The contest marked the first time the squad has opened at home since 2005.
IT'S A FIRST: Tuesday's match was the first between NDC and Davenport. DU, located in Grand Rapids, Mich., instituted Men's Soccer in 2005. The Panthers compete as an NAIA institution in the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference. They won their 2009 season opener against Trinity International 3-2.
