ORANGE BEACH, Ala. – For a second straight tournament match, Notre Dame pulled off a comeback win as the Falcons rallied from a 1-0 deficit to defeat Grand View-Iowa (21-2-0), 2-1, on Wednesday afternoon. (Box)

The Falcons came into their fourth tournament and as the fourth seed, while the Vikings appearing in their sixth tournament as the 12th seed.

The game between the No.-2 ranked Falcons (NAIA Coaches' Poll) and the No. 13 Vikings was played to a scoreless draw in the opening 45 minutes, with Grand View out-shooting Notre Dame, 11-5. #Alex Klein#, a junior from Frankfurt, Germany made three saves in the first half, two of which came in the first four minutes of play. NDC put two shots on net in the first stanza, with #Elliot Kelly# and #Ryan McGreevy# being turned away by GVU keeper Darren Martin.

The Vikings struck early in the second when Jonny MacAdam connected on a penalty kick at 48:57 when Klein brought down a Viking attacker in the Falcon penalty area. Notre Dame answered almost immediately, revving up its attack against the GVU defense over the next several minutes of play.

The Blue & White pressured Martin with a series of corners and shots commencing in the 50th minute. Shots by #Tom Mellor# and #Jacob Child# rattled the woodwork and were followed by a #Jacob Sheppard# header cleared off the line before #Luke Holmes# landed the equalizer on a Mellor feed at 53:14.

The Holmes goal -- his 20th of the season -- was the centerpiece of an eight-minute offensive barrage that included seven corners and four shots.

The match then settled in to an even pace, with both sides exchanging offensive chances. That exchange was punctuated by an exclamation point when Holmes and Mellor connected for a second time, giving Notre Dame a 2-1 lead. The goal came on a Mellor pass nodded into the GVU net by Holmes at 78:12, and it capped off a second straight comeback victory for the Falcons.

Mellor's second assist marked his 19th of the season for tops in the nations, 30th career assist in two seasons, and seventh multi assist match of the year. The Shaw, England native holds the all-time record for assists in a season (19) and career (30) in just 43 matches.

Holmes, the 2009 NAIA Leading Goal Scorer (29) has now scored an NDC best 67 career goals.

“Those guys are difference-makers,” said Coach #Michael "Mac" McBride#, who has led his team to a school-record win total. “We had a certain degree of luck today. We faced a very good team but we passed the ball well. We are just excited to be in our first Semifinal.”

The win secures the Falcons seventh NAIA Championship win in ten matches and a place in their first Semifinal. NDC will play the winner of Bethel (Tenn.) and Mobile (Ala.) match, on Friday Dec. 3, at the Orange Beach Sportsplex. Kickoff scheduled for 5 p.m. EST.

Live audio will be provided for the NAIA Semifinal on NotreDameFalcons.com from the Orange Beach Sportsplex, pregame show and Men's Soccer Coaches Corner to start approximately 30 minutes prior to the Falcons 5 p.m. kickoff on Dec. 3.


NOTES FROM THE NEST....

SOLID CHILD: #Jacob Child#, a senior defender started his 83rd career match for the Falcons, tying Chris Laughlin for second all-time and one start off the top spot held by Chris Logan.

DECEMBER TO REMEMBER: The Falcons moved to 2-0-0 on Dec. 1 and 2-2-0 all-time. NDC defeated Benedictine (Kan.) 3-1, Dec. 1, 2009 in the Second Round of the NAIA Championship.

HOT SECOND: Notre Dame has outscored opponents 56-4 in the second half of matches.