This week: Notre Dame travels twice this week with games at Wheeling and West Virginia Wesleyan. The Falcons play at Wheeling tonight at 7 p.m. then head to Wesleyan for a Sunday, October 13, 4 p.m. game.
Records: Notre Dame most recently tied West Liberty to move its record to 2-3-4 (1-2-3 MEC). Wheeling has yet to earn a victory this season and holds a record of 0-9 (0-6 MEC). West Virginia Wesleyan has had a back-and-forth year, but most recently won 1-0 at Fairmont State. The Bobcats are now 4-4 with a 3-2 MEC record.
Coaches Corner: Mike Shiels is in his 17th season as the head coach for the Falcons. During his time at NDC, Shiels has gone 167-104-24 with a 72-12-11 MEC record. Tyler Absalom is in his fifth season at Wheeling with a 19-55-5 (16-45-5 MEC) record. Richard Owens is in his second season with the Bobcats. Owens holds a record of 17-6-6 (13-2-3 MEC).
Rankings: None of the teams received votes in the preseason United State Soccer Coaches Poll released October 8.
Series History: Notre Dame kept its winning streak going against Wheeling earlier this season with a 2-1 overtime victory to move the Falcons record to 12-0 against WU. NDC has not had as easy a road against West Virginia Wesleyan. Notre Dame is 4-9-3 against the Bobcats. The lone matchup between WVWC and the Falcons in 2018 ended in a 0-0 tie.
Noting the Falcons: Notre Dame tied for the fourth time this season in its last game against West Liberty. That mark ties the NDC record for most draws in a single season, but the Falcons will need wins in order to make the MEC Tournament. With the point system in the Mountain East, NDC has been earning points with their three ties, but it has not been enough to keep them in the top three in the North Division. The Falcons may have just what they need in their next game as their last win, and lone victory in the MEC this season, came against Wheeling. Notre Dame won 2-1 in overtime, but the score was skewed due to an own goal from NDC that resulted in the point for the Cardinals. In tonight's matchup, Wheeling will look to score its first goal against the Falcons of the season.
Noting the Cardinals: Dating back to last season, the Wheeling women's soccer program is currently on a 12-game losing streak. The Cardinals will look to turn things around against the Falcons on Wednesday evening or against 5-4 Charleston this weekend. Wheeling has scored two goals in each of its past two games, but ultimately lost both by scored of 4-2. The Falcons have only allowed multiple goals to be scored against them twice this season, with a 1-1 record in those games.
Noting the Bobcats: West Virginia Wesleyan and Notre Dame have sat at the top of the Mountain East Conference since the league began in 2013. Notre Dame won three regular season titles while Wesleyan won two before the conference split into two divisions in 2018. Last season, NDC and WVWC each won its division. The tournament champions have also always been either the Falcons or Bobcats, with Wesleyan leading the way with four tournament wins compare to Notre Dame's two. This season, however, both divisions look like they may go other ways. Fairmont State currently leads the North Division with 13 points while Davis & Elkins leads the South Division with 12 points. Notre Dame and Wesleyan will both be looking to turn things around this week.
