SOUTH EUCLID, Ohio – An onslaught of shots from the Notre Dame College women's soccer team was too much for Urbana University to handle in the first round of the Mountain East Conference Tournament game on Wednesday. The Falcons won 2-0 after their attack wore down Urbana's goalkeeper.
 
In just 12 ticks over an hour the Notre Dame offense to finally connect. On their 20 shot attempts, 13 of which were on goal, Hazel Sanz saved 11. It took two crisp passes from Kady Cushing and Lauren Chaney to find an open player in Alyssa Soltis who shimmied her way through the box to find the net.
 
"We just felt like if we kept the pressure up that we'd get one," said head coach Mike Shiels. "We talked about being relentless and building momentum. We knew if we got enough good chances that one would go in."
 
Not only did NDC cash in on one goal, but the Falcons piled things on to give themselves some breathing room. In the 67th minute, Katja Josipovic placed a perfect ball into the box on a corner kick to give Andrea Spinelli a goal. Spinelli has now scored two goals in just as many games after she put one it against Urbana in the final regular season game of 2019.
 
"It's just instinct," Spinelli said of her header. "The service into the box was really good and I knew it was coming because they weren't marking up. I was ready for it."
 
Both goals were highlight plays for NDC, but both also needed to be set up by great passes. With a license to do what they feel is best, the Falcons were able to create opportunity after opportunity in the playoff game.
 
"We're lucky because we have good players who make good decisions," Shiels said. "They can create and we're the beneficiaries of it. When it comes to the attacking part of the field we want to give our players some freedom, and they have been able to do some really good things."
 
The offensive output was matched by tough defensive play. Urbana was only able to get off two shots on goal, both of which were saved by Jordan Pasalaqua in her eighth win of the year.
 
"We kept their shots down throughout the game, and I'm proud of everyone on the field for that," Spinelli, a junior defender, said. "Definitely have to give the players around me credit for how we were able to handle things."
 
On a cold day, it was obvious the Falcons had only winning on their minds. Despite RealFeel® of 15 degrees, Notre Dame kept up its relentless pace for all 90 minutes.
 
"They're tough kids," Shiels said. "We thought going into this year that it was one thing that stood out among this group. They're a bunch of fighters and they don't back down from very much. That was a big benefit today. They were ready to play."
 
With heavy snow falling in the days prior, Notre Dame was able to play on a clear surface thanks to the college's maintenance team.
 
"I just want to thank the maintenance crew for everything they did for us," Shiels said. "They just did an amazing job on the field to get things ready for us this morning."
 
The win not only secured a spot in the conference's final four, but also gave NDC its 10th win on the year. Coach Shiels has now led his program to seven-straight seasons with double digits in the win column.
 
Notre Dame will play at Concord on Friday, November 15, at 1 p.m. in the MEC Semifinal.