This week: Notre Dame College is set to host two games this week on Mueller Field. Fairmont State will visit on Thursday, September 14 before Concord comes to South Euclid on Sunday, September 17. Both games are scheduled to begin at 4 p.m.
 
Records: The Falcons (3-0) came out on top in all three games last week to start their season as one of just two undefeated teams in MEC play. Fairmont State is now 2-1-1, 1-1-1 after suffering a 2-1 loss against Urbana on Sunday. Concord began its season 1-2, 0-2 MEC with two losses in conference play last week.
 
Coaches Corner: Mike Shiels is in his 14th season as the head coach for the Falcons. During his time at NDC, Shiels has gone 144-91-16 with a 52-6-5 MEC record. Brandon Heembrock is in his first season at Fairmont State and his first season as a head coach. Heembrock holds a 2-1-1 record. Luke Duffy is entering his second season with the Mountain Lions. In his first season at Concord his team went 3-10-5.
 
Rankings: No teams playing on campus this week received votes in the September 5 United Soccer Coaches Poll.
 
Series History: Notre Dame is 4-0 against Fairmont State since joining the Division II ranks in 2011. The Falcons have also never lost to the Mountain Lions with a 7-0-1 record against the conference foe.
 
Noting the Falcons: NDC not only did well on a team level, but also earned individual recognition from the MEC as Alexis Manoa earned Player of the Week for recording five points (one goal, three assists) in the team's three victories. Manoa wasn't the only Falcon to perform at a high level offensively in the opening week of play. Five players scored at least one goal with a pair of freshman scoring two goals each. Janelle Bernal and Alyssa Soltis had an exciting start in their college careers, scoring in two of their first three games. Bernal scored the game-winning goal against Urbana in her debut. These two weren't the only rookie standouts in week one as goalkeeper Kyra McDowell played all 272 minutes in the goal to go 3-0.
 
Noting the Fighting Falcons: Fairmont State has played in close games so far this season winning each of their games with finals of 1-0. The Fighting Falcons also suffered their single loss by one point and tied 1-1 against Charleston. FSU also boasts one of the most experienced goalkeepers in the NCAA in Shawna Graham. Graham ranks second among NCAA DII players with 8.18 saves per game and fifth with 319 career saves as a junior. So far this season, Graham has two shutouts and 13 saves.
 
Noting the Mountain Lions: Concord has an active offense that averages 11.7 shots per game. Sixty percent of their shots so far this season have been on target, but they have only been able to score three goals. The Mountain Lions are able to take advantage of this aggressive play to put them in a good position to score as the team has recorded 14 corner kicks in 2017. CU may lack depth as only nine members of the team have played in all three games this season. This possible lack of depth may explain why the Mountain Lions have given up four of their five goals against in the second half.
 
Getting Defensive: The Notre Dame defense this season has used veteran play to allow one goal per game, ranking them in the top five in the MEC. The Falcons have yet to see defenders Sarah Grossman, Riley Doyle, Jillian Doss or Andrea Spinelli come off the pitch in 2017. Freshman Kyra McDowell has also stayed off the sidelines this year.