This week: Notre Dame College plays in the first round of the NCAA Tournament tomorrow, November 10, against Kutztown. Kickoff is set for 12 p.m. The winner of that match will then go on to play West Chester on Sunday, November 12. Both games will be played at West Chester.
 
Records: The Falcons are 13-4-2 after a win against Concord and a loss to West Virginia Wesleyan last week in the MEC Championship Playoffs. Kutztown is 16-3-1 after a win in the PSAC Championship quarterfinals and a loss in the semifinals. West Chester is 16-3-1 after losing in the PSAC Championship finals. Both Kutztown and West Chester lost to East Stroudsburg.
 
Coaches Corner: Mike Shiels is in his 14th season as the head coach for the Falcons. During his time at NDC, Shiels has gone 154-95-18 with a 62-9-7 MEC record. Erik Burstein is in his 11th season at Kutztown. He has a record of 153-61-14. Betty Ann Kempf Townsley is in her 10th season at the helm of the West Chester program. At West Chester, Kempf Townsley has a record of 156-37-23. With 30 seasons of experience as an NCAA head coach, she has gone 299-239-49.
 
Rankings: West Chester was ranked No. 18 in the November 7 United State Soccer Coaches Poll while Kutztown received votes. Notre Dame earned their first at-large bid as the No. 5 seed in the Atlantic Region. Kutztown is the No. 4 seed and West Chester is the No. 1 seed.
 
Series History: NDC has not played Kutztown or West Chester since its departure from the NAIA in 2011.
 
Noting the Falcons: Notre Dame will be looking for its first NCAA Tournament win this week against Kutztown. Since joining the Mountain East in 2013, The Falcons have a record of 5-4 against non-conference opponents (including post season play). NDC is coming off a 1-0 loss in the MEC Championship and the program has not lost back-to-back games since October 28, 2012 during team's first season in the NCAA.
 
Noting the Golden Bears: Kutztown returned this season after losing in the Final Four in the 2016 NCAA Tournament to Western Washington. This year they have outscored opponents 56-12 this season as they average 2.8 goals per game while giving up only 0.6. The Golden Bears lost their only neutral site game this season, which came in the PSAC semifinals against eventual PSAC Champion East Stroudsburg. Kutztown has relied heavily on sophomores Emily Zwiercan and Maddie Mohr who lead the team in points with 35 and 28, respectively. Zwiercan has scored 13 goals while assisting on nine others while Mohr has 14 goals.
 
Noting the Golden Rams: West Chester earned the No. 1 seed in the Atlantic Region of the NCAA Tournament to secure its 15th-straight NCAA Tournament appearance. The Golden Rams have been the No. 1 seed, and earned a first-round bye, seven of those 15 times. In their 16 wins this season, WCU has only won six by more than one goal as they have kept the majority of their games close. They have outscored their opponents 32-11 this season and outshot them 339-119.
 
NCAA Tournament History: The Falcons have now made the NCAA Tournament three times since joining the Division II ranks in 2012. This is the first time NDC has made back-to-back appearances (2014, 2016, 2017). In 2014, Notre Dame lost 1-0 in the first round to fellow Mountain East Conference member West Virginia Wesleyan. Last season, East Stroudsburg won 2-0 to knock to Falcons out of the first round.