SOUTH EUCLID, Ohio -- Second ranked (NAIA Men's Soccer Coaches' Top 25) Notre Dame (19-0-0, 8-0-0 AMC) marched onto their third consecutive AMC Tournament Championship, defeating No. 21 Houghton (N.Y.) (13-6-0, 7-1-0 AMC) 5-2. (Box)

The Falcons came into the match as the top seed, 8-0-0 in conference play while the visiting Highlanders, the second seed brought in a 7-1-0 AMC record. The two teams battled on Sept. 29, before #Steven Kane#, a senior from Jeromesville, Ohio, scored the loan goal for the Falcons 10th win, 1-0.

The Falcons would come out attacking early; #Tom Mellor#'s corner kick would find #Jacob Sheppard# just less than four minutes into the game. Sheppard, a sophomore from Brampton, Ont. would put home his third goal of the season while Mellor, a sophomore from Shaw, England secured his 15th assist as the Falcons went up 1-0.

The Highlanders continued to challenge the hosts, finding the breaking point at the 28:28 mark. Daniel Smith would get behind the NDC backline, and get around the Falcons keeper Alex Klein leveling the score at 1-1.

The Falcons would insert Steven Kane, into the lineup. Kane would find the back of the net at 43:35 mark on Mellor's second assist of the match, putting the Blue and White up 2-1.

The Falcons would get another goal from the super sub, Kane at the 44:31 mark when he smashed home his second goal on an assist from Jacob Child, extending the NDC lead to 3-1 right before the break.

Outscoring their opponents 49-4 in the second half, the Blue and White would continue to attack with more pressure on the Highlanders' goal. Thirteen minutes into the second period, Luke Holmes would provide the goal that the Falcon faithful had been waiting for, scoring his 65th career goal, moving him past Jeremy Kephart for the all-time record while extending the home sides lead to 4-1 on an assist from Kane.


Kane would push the Falcons lead to four goals earning him a hat trick at the 72:43 mark on yet another assist from Mellor. The assist marked Mellor's record breaking 17th assist of the season and his 28th assist in 40 matches. For Kane, his goal marked his 17th goal in fifteen appearances and his 41st career.

Houghton would pull one back at the 89:33 mark when Johnny Kimani would send a ball towards the back post and over #Jan Skorupinski#, a freshman from Vogt, Germany, bringing the score to 5-2. 

Through 90 minutes of action the Falcons would hold a 22-14 advantage in shots, and a slim 4-3 edge in corner kicks.

#Alex Klein#, a junior from Frankfurt, Germany, would be credited with the win, making three saves over 80:12 minutes of action. Klein improves his record to 18-0-0 on the season and 24-1-0 all-time. Steve Zacchigna for the Highlanders fell to 13-6-0 on the year, making 10 saves in the loss.

The win secures the Falcons place in their third consecutive NAIA National Tournament and fourth all time. The Falcons first round match will be played on Saturday Nov. 20. Time, location, and opponent will be announced by the NAIA after the final R.P.I. rating on Sunday Nov. 14.



NOTES FROM THE NEST....

ALWAYS SUNNY IN NOVEMBER: The Falcons hold a 15-7-0 record in November matches including 9-0-0 over the last three season.

ALL LEVEL: The Blue and White (19-0-0) are tied with the 2008 for the most wins in a single season. The 2008 squad finished 19-2-1.

PERFECTION: Notre Dame finished the regular season with their first perfect record in program history, 17-0-0. The Blue and White finished their final season in the AMC with a perfect 8-0-0 record and march onto their third consecutive AMC Tournament Championship defeating their opponents 11-3.

RECORD BREAKERS: The Falcons dominated opponents while rewriting the record books, with school best's in, wins to open a season (19), winning streak (19), and consecutive shouts (7) and shutouts in a season (12), most wins in regular season (17), fewest regular season goals allowed (6), their first perfect regular season 17-0-0, and the most goals in an AMC Tournament (11).

200 CLUB: Coach Michael “Mac” McBride coached his 200th match on Saturday Oct. 23, 2010. The Blue and White defeated Roberts Wesleyan 1-0 in OT on NDC's homecoming. McBride's record since the program's inception in 2001 is 137-52-14 (.709 pct.). 


HISTORY LESSONS 

The last time the Blue and White played on Nov. 13 the Falcons defeated Houghton, 1-0, Nov. 13, 2009.

Jeremy Kephart scored the first NDC goal on Sept. 4, 2001 in a 2-5 loss to Tiffin. #Luke Holmes# broke Kephart's All-Time Record on Nov. 13, 2010 in a 5-2 win over Houghton. 

NDC kicked off their first campaign Sept. 4, 2001 with a 2-5 loss to Tiffin. The Falcons marked their tenth year anniversary on Sept. 4, 2010 with a 6-0 win over Iowa Wesleyan at the Calumet College of St. Joseph Crimson Wave Invitational; the win marked the schools 121st victory.