This week: Notre Dame College hosts a pair of conference games this week as Davis & Elkins and Charleston visit South Euclid. Tomorrow's, October 17, game is scheduled for a 3 p.m. start while Sunday's, October 20, contest will begin at 12 p.m.    
 
Records: Notre Dame won two road games last week to improve to 4-3-4 (3-2-3 MEC). Davis & Elkins went 0-1-1 last week to move its record to 5-3-2 (4-2-1 MEC). Charleston also lost and tied a game last week to bring its season record to 5-5-1 (3-3-1 MEC).   
 
Coaches Corner: Mike Shiels is in his 17th season as the head coach for the Falcons. During his time at NDC, Shiels has gone 169-104-24 with a 74-12-11 MEC record. Declan McGill is in his first season at the helm of the Davis & Elkins program. An alumnus of D&E, McGill served as a volunteer assistant coach for the men's soccer team in 2018. In his first year, he is 5-3-2 (4-2-1 MEC). Todd Diuguid is in his 19th season at Charleston. His record over the past two seasons is 14-13-3 (11-6-3 MEC).
 
Rankings: None of the teams received votes in the preseason United State Soccer Coaches Poll released October 15.
 
Series History: Notre Dame holds a 9-3-1 record against Charleston in a series that began in 2013. This is the Falcons first matchup against Davis & Elkins. NDC is currently on a four-game regular-season winning streak against Charleston, dating back to 2016. The Falcons and Golden Eagles matched up in the MEC Championship game that season, and after a tie Notre Dame won in penalty kicks 4-2.    
 
Noting the Falcons: With its two wins last week, Notre Dame is now back in the hunt for the MEC North Division title. With 12 points in the standings, NDC is tied for third with Frostburg State while Fairmont State and Urbana each have 16. Just four points behind, and with seven games to go (including games against Frostburg State, Fairmont State and Urbana), the Falcons put themselves in a good position for a late-season run. Last week Notre Dame scored five goals, including two against a strong defensive team in West Virginia Wesleyan. NDC scored just six goals in its first nine games. The Falcon defense has played well this year, with three shutouts and just two games in which opponents scored more than one goal. If the offense can mimic its success from last week, they will put the team in a good position to win.
 
Noting the Senators: Davis & Elkins started its MEC schedule off strong in its inaugural season in the conference. The Senators were 4-1 in the MEC after their first five games, which included a three-game winning streak. Notre Dame is the fourth in a quartet of MEC North teams the Senators have played in each of their games since October 5. After defeating Frostburg State, D&E lost to Fairmont State and tied Urbana to fall to 4-2-1 in the league. The game at NDC holds big implications for both teams as Davis & Elkins is currently just two points out of first place in the South Division. The Senators have relied on the offensive duo of Ashleli Freed and Nariana Nealy to create pressure this season. Both Freed (3rd) and Nealy (5th) rank in the top 10 in the MEC in shot attempts with 40 and 36, respectively. By comparison, the stat leader for Notre Dame, Ellie Gess, has taken 23 shots.
 
Noting the Golden Eagles: Scoring multiple goals against Charleston may be key for Notre Dame to come out victorious. Four of the Golden Eagles' five losses this year came against teams who scored multiple goals. UC is 0-4 in games when they have allowed more than one goal, and are 2-1 when allowing just one goal. Pinning down sophomore forward Keira Hill will likely also be a major factor in Sunday's game. In games that Hill has scored a goal or assisted on one, the Golden Eagles are 4-0. When Hill is not in the stat sheet with at least one point, UC is 1-5-1.