Box Score
SOUTH EUCLID, Ohio -- For the second time in as many seasons, the Notre Dame College women's soccer team has earned a spot in the Mountain East Conference Championship. The top-seeded Falcons defeated the No. 4 seed Shepherd University Rams at home on Wednesday afternoon, winning by a final score of 2-0.

The Falcons came into the postseason as the top seed after finishing the regular season with a 12-2-2 record, while the Rams earned the fourth seed with a 9-8-1 regular season record. NDC swept the regular season series, winning 5-0 at home and winning 1-0 in OT on the road at Shepherd. On Wednesday afternoon, the Falcons completed the season-sweep over Shepherd to advance to the MEC Championship.

The battle between the Falcons and Rams was a physical one, as both sides pushed for a victory in a win-or-go-home game. After the Rams fired a few shots at sophomore Samantha Shoemaker early in the game, the Falcons immediately responded with an offensive chance of their own. In the 11th minute, junior Alex DeFilippo scored the first goal of the game, with the assist from junior Kathrine Beattie. 

With a 1-0 lead in hand, the Falcons fought off a few different offensive chances from the Rams to keep the shutout in tact. 

In the 41st minute, the Falcons scored their second goal of the game as sophomore Natalie Ockunzzi found the back of the net on a breakaway, using an assist from Beattie to give NDC a 2-0 lead going into halftime.

In the second half, the pace of the game slowed down significantly as the Falcons tried to limit offensive chances from the Rams. On the flip side, the Rams tried to stop the bleeding at two goals and battle back, but could never finish on any offensive opportunities to cut the deficit.

Both sides went back-and-forth in the second half, with neither side establishing real momentum. However, with a 2-0 lead already in hand, the Falcons put the game on ice as they closed out the victory over the Rams, earning themselves a spot in the MEC Championship.

The No. 1 seed Falcons will square off against the No. 2 seed West Virginia Wesleyan Bobcats on Sunday afternoon. NDC and WVW met twice in the regular season, with the Bobcats winning the first game 1-0 in overtime. The second time around, the Falcons and Bobcats tied at one after two overtimes.

As the top seed, the Falcons will host the Championship at Mueller Field on Sunday, but final times are still yet to be determined. Check here more information on the MEC women's soccer tournament, as updated by the Mountain East Conference.