GATES MILLS, Ohio -- Notre Dame kept what is now a seven-game unbeaten streak alive in grand fashion on Wednesday, defeating Houghton (N.Y.), 1-0, in a battle of two teams that hadn't yet lost in conference play.
A #Lauren Kobylik# goal in the 15th minute would be enough for freshman goalkeeper #Kristy Kolschtzky# and a Falcon defense that has now pitched six straight shutouts. Both the Falcon netminder and the NDC backfield were under near-constant pressure throughout the game, with the Highlanders outgunning the home squad, 18-8 in shots and 8-2 in shots in goal.
The game marked a battle between two squads at or near the top of the AMC standings. Houghton came into the match in first-place among the conference's 11 teams. The defending AMC champions had been 4-0 in AMC play coming into Wednesday's late-afternoon game. Notre Dame came into the game as the third-place team in the circuit, with a 3-0 mark.
With its 1-0 victory in a home game played at Gilmour Academy's Weber Stadium, Notre Dame (5-1-2) now stands alone atop the league standings with 4-0 mark in AMC play. Houghton (6-3-1, 3-1) now has one loss in conference play; the Highlanders had gone 4-0 since their last loss, to Olivet Nazarene (Ill.) on Sept. 4. Over that stretch, HC had outscored foes, 13-1.
On Wednesday, Houghton was undone by
Lauren Kobylik's goal at 14:30. The sophomore midfielder's goal came on a long through-ball off the foot of
Emily Balodis that hugged the turf field at Weber Stadium and found Kobylik sprinting down the right side, a step ahead of Houghton defender Katie-Jean Vandzura. Kobylik corralled the ball and got enough leg on a shot to sneak it past Houghton's keeper, Alexa Thayer. The goal marked Kobylik's second this season and the first the Highlanders had allowed in three games.
That goal stood as the lone score of a first half that saw the visiting Highlanders outshoot the Falcons, 8-5. A solid Houghton attack put five of those eight on target. Kobylik's netfinder was NDC's only shot on goal in the opening half, and NDC would have to withstand a similar barrage in the second frame to come away with the victory.
In the second, Houghton outshot Notre Dame, 10-3, but
Kristy Kolschetzky made three saves and spoiled several corner kicks, breaking through traffic to thwart the visitors' aerial attack. For the game, the Mentor, Ohio, native went 8-for-8 on save attempts, upping her season save percentage to .941 (32-for-36).
Kolschetzky has been the last line of defense for a Falcon team that has held foes to just one goal in seven matches since this season's opening game, a 5-1 loss to Martin Methodist (Tenn.).
Both teams had come into Wednesday's game in Gates Mills on four-game win streaks. The Falcons now head into their next contest -- at Daemen (N.Y.) this Saturday, Oct. 2 -- with the conference's longest current win streak (five) and as the first-place team in the AMC.
NOTES FROM THE NEST …
RIGHT AT HOME: Wednesday's “home-away-from-home” game at Gilmour marked Notre Dame's third home match this season. The Falcons are 3-0 in those three contests, all of which have been played away from Korb Field, the team's traditional home field in Lyndhurst, Ohio. The Blue & White went 5-2 at home last season en route to posting an overall mark of 12-7. The Falcons are 26-4-2 at home since 2006.
ONE-DERFUL STREAK: The Falcons have now beaten the Highlanders by a 1-0 score in three straight games, dating back to 2008. Prior to 2008, Houghton had an 8-0 record against NDC and had outscored the Falcons, 47-1.
ZERO TOLERANCE: Notre Dame hasn't allowed a goal since the 26th minute of its second game of the season (Sept. 5 vs. William Carey-Miss.). That's a run of 645 game minutes without allowing a score. … Through eight games, NDC has scored 14 goals and allowed just six. The Falcons have pitched six shutouts; they posted eight in 19 matches a year ago.
