This week: Notre Dame begins their season on the road as they play Gannon University on September 5, at 3 p.m. On September 8, the Falcons begin their conference schedule by traveling to Davis & Elkins College for a 3:30 p.m. kickoff.

Records: Last season, Notre Dame finished with a record of 14-4-1, going 11-3 in the MEC. They earned a trip to the NCAA Playoffs for the fifth time in program history. Gannon went 10-6-2 last season, making an appearance in the PSAC Tournament. D&E finished 5-9-2 and will enter their first season in the MEC in 2019.

Coaches Corner: Carl Nolan enters his fourth season at the helm of the NDC men's soccer program. He currently holds a record of 35-15-4, overall, and a 27-9-2 record in the MEC. Billy Colton starts his first season as head coach of Gannon, but he has been on the staff at GU for five years. Matt Ellinger is now in his second season with Davis & Elkins, going 5-9-2 in 2018.

Rankings: Notre Dame is ranked 23rd in the preseason United Soccer Coaches poll, their first time in the preseason top-25 since 2016.

Series History: Notre Dame is 5-2 in their series with Gannon, including a 4-0 victory last season. The Falcons have not played D&E since 2014, but hold a 2-0 all-time record against the Senators.

Noting the Falcons: Last season, Notre Dame won 14 total games and 11 conference games, the most in both categories since 2013. They also made an appearance in the NCAA DII Playoffs for the first time since 2015. After being picked No. 23 in the national preseason poll, the Falcons have now been included in the top-25 every week since September 4, 2018. Two weeks ago, NDC was picked to finish second in the MEC, as voted on by the league's coaches. The men's program returns many of their top players from last season. On the offensive side, Arthur Favero was the MEC Offensive Player of the Year and Atlantic Region Player of the Year after scoring 11 goals and assisting on eight. Nicholas Felician was named MEC Freshman of the Year following a season of seven goals, four game-winners and five assists. Defensively, goalkeeper Daniele De Angelis was named to the All-MEC and Atlantic Region First Teams, as well as being named an Academic All-American. He posted 12 shutouts, which was third best in the nation for a goalkeeper and allowed 0.67 goals per game. Paolo Termine was named to the First Team All-Atlantic Region, First Team Academic All-District 2 and All-MEC First Team after starting 17 contests. As a team, the Falcons allowed 0.68 goals per game, which was 12th best in the nation, while scoring 2.32 goals of their own, ranking 27th.

Noting the Golden Knights: Last season, Gannon was the sixth seed in the PSAC Tournament after winning 10 games and seven conference contest. It marked their third consecutive season winning double-digit games and, at least, seven conference games. Sam Thornton scored 11 of GU's 33 goals, including seven game winners, in just 14 games last season. Baran Kilic led the team with five assists. Hedi Mehnaoui recorded 66 saves and posted five shutouts in goal. None of the players will return this season, so new Gannon head coach Billy Colton will turn to others on the roster for help this season.

Noting the Senators: Davis & Elkins will look to rebound in 2019 after a tough season. In 2017, the Senators went 14-3-4 and won a game in the NCAA Tournament, in which they made their first appearance since 2012. Last year, however, D&E won just five contests and had a 2-7-1 stretch to end the season. The Senators' offense scored 21 goals last season, which would have finished in the bottom three of the MEC. Pedro Bassin Nunes led the team with five goals and three game winners. Friedrich Peter, bolstered the defense in 2018 and earned GMAC First Team honors, but has since graduated. Midfielder Markus Just returns after being named a GMAC Honorable Mention. Everton Carvalho is back after playing nine games in goal and recording 34 saves.