Box Score ERIE, Pa. -- The Notre Dame College men's soccer team took to the road on Thursday afternoon to open the 2015 campaign against the host Gannon Golden Knights in a non-conference matchup. The Falcons used a pair of goals from
Leonardo Paiva and a strong defensive showing to come away with a 2-1 win over the Golden Knights.
In a battle between two of the top programs in the Mid-Atlantic Region, the score sat at 0-0 stalemate for a large majority of the first half. Despite the scoreless tie, the Falcons were controlling the tempo of the match, firing shots on goal but to no avail early on.
However, the Falcons finally broke through with a goal in the 40th minute.
Ryan Ware dished a pass to
Leonardo Paiva, who then connected on his shot and found the back of the net, giving NDC the 1-0 lead just minutes before the halftime break.
At halftime, the Falcons led 1-0 on the scoreboard and had outshot the Golden Knights 9-1 in first half as well. NDC also attempted five corner kicks in the first half, compared to Gannon's zero attempts, further proving that the tempo was controlled by the Falcons.
That same theme of ball control continued into the second half, as the Falcons continued to play the game at their pace. The Golden Knights refused to simply roll over though, staying in the game and keeping it at a 1-0 deficit for the majority of the second half.
However, Paiva officially shut the door on the Golden Knights in the 83rd minute of the game. The freshman scored an unassisted goal - his second goal of the game - to push the Falcons' lead to 2-0 with just minutes remaining in regulation.
From there, NDC's stout defense held on and limited opportunities for Gannon, cementing a 2-0 win for the Falcons in their 2015 season opener. The Falcons outshot the Golden Knights 15-3 in the contest, and posted a 13-4 difference in corner kicks as well.
With the win, the Falcons improve to 1-0 on the season. NDC will return to action on Saturday, Sept. 5 on the road against Mercyhurst University. The game is scheduled to begin at 2:30 p.m.
