Box Score
CANTON, Ohio -- Notre Dame outshot Malone, 25-4, but the Pioneers rode a lone first-half goal to a 1-0 victory on Friday afternoon.
In doing so, Malone did something no Falcon foe has done for nearly 100 games: keep NDC out of the net. And it wasn't for a lack of opportunities -- Notre Dame got off 25 shots in the match, its most since Sept. 23. And in shots on goal, NDC out-fired MU, 12-3.
But only the ones that find nylon count, and in that department, Malone came out much the best in a surprise win on its home turf.
With the loss in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference meeting, the No. 23 (National Soccer Coaches Association of America) Falcons have now dropped two of their last three matches. In perhaps a more surprising development, NDC was shut out in a game for the first time since Sept. 12, 2008, a stretch of 96 games. The Blue & White headed into Friday's clash in Canton, Ohio, averaging 3.0 goals per contest, which ranked eighth in the nation (NCAA-II).
Notre Dame (10-4, 7-4 GLIAC) entered the day tied with Ohio Dominican for the lead in the GLIAC South Division; both teams were 7-3 in circuit play heading into the weekend.
Malone (5-6-1, 5-4-1) has been winless in October (0-2-1) prior to Friday's upset victory. The Pioneers had also gone more than a decade since last winning a game over Notre Dame. MU last defeated NDC in the Falcons' inaugural 2001 season (a 3-2 overtime win on Sept. 18, 2001).
The opening 15 minutes of the game were evenly played with neither side taking control. That ended in the 17th minute when junior midfielder Josh Abend netted his first goal of the season to put the Pioneers up, 1-0. Fed by Adam Sharpnack, Abend chipped his goal in past goalkeeper Jan Skorupisnki who took an aggressive line in the effort to thwart the play.
Notre Dame countered several minutes later with a few decent scoring opportunities. But the host Pioneers managed to kip a lid on their goal, and MU preserved the 1-0 advantage through halftime.
The second half saw the Falcons apply fairly steady pressure on the MU defense. But Pioneer keeper Felipe Monteiro was up to the task -- he continued to face a flurry of NDC shots, not allowing any to pass. After 45 minutes of second-half play, Notre Dame was out of time, and Monteiro had pitched his fifth shutout of the season, collecting a season-high 12 saves along the way.
With Friday's loss at Malone, NDC splits its season series against the Pioneers. The Falcons downed MU, 5-2, in an earlier meeting this season (Sept. 16). Notre Dame is now 8-2 all-time against Malone. Prior to Friday's match, NDC had beaten Malone eight straight times, dating back to 2002.
