WHEELING, W.Va. – In a hostile road environment, Notre Dame College fell behind 3-0 to Wheeling University after 45 minutes. The Falcons slowly came back in the second half, finally tying the match at three with a goal in the 87th minute.
 
Notre Dame's Ailton Fagner Silva was hungry for the first goal of the game, taking a shot on goal in the fifth minute and then attempting a penalty kick in the eighth. The first shot was saved by Wheeling's goalkeeper Carlos Molina and the second went high.
 
Wheeling struck first in the 13th minute, on a broken play. The Cardinals centered the ball with a pass deep in the box, but sophomore Jared Rimmer slid to clear it for the moment. However, as the defense was still recovering from the initial attack, Wheeling's Jon-Micheal Gordan possessed the ball and shot right through Rimmer's legs and past goalkeeper Danilo Abayo Wilson, who did not see the ball until it was too late.
 
Ten minutes later, WU scored again as Richard Afolayanka converted a penalty kick.
 
Wheeling added one more in the 32nd minute. A long kick from the defensive side set the Cardinals up in the attacking third. WU was running behind the Falcons' defense and Gordan found Afolayanka, who was one-on-one with Wilson, scoring a second time.
 
With 37 seconds left in the first stanza, freshman Alex Greaves had an open shot, and one of Notre Dame's best chances, but it bounced into the hands of Molina.
 
NDC, a team that came into the game ranked 16th in the country with an average of 6.54 corners per game, did not take a single corner kick in the first half and finished the game with four.
 
The Falcons came out with greater intensity in the second half and NDC would outshoot Wheeling 15-4 in the final 45 minutes.
 
With Notre Dame on the attack in the 63rd minute, Molina ran out to grab the ball, but he fell under the legs of sophomore Parker Bolin. A penalty in the box was called and freshman Higor Xisto put the penalty kick through, sending the shot to the lower right.

Xisto was in the Falcons' second goal, as well. After a set piece, the Sao Paulo, Brazil native took the ball and ran down the right sideline. With a defender on his hip near the endline, he found a way to send the ball into the box, finding Bolin, who immediately sent the ball between the right post and goalkeeper for a goal.
 
The Falcons then had a couple very close chances to tie the game. In the 77th minute, a pass off of a set piece ended up in the box. Bolin jumped and attempted a bicycle kick in the crowd of players, but Molina leaped to snag the ball just below the crossbar. In the 86th minute, a free kick by junior Carlos Almeida went into the box, leading to a header by senior Evans Armah, but Molina made another diving save.
 
Almeida, the reigning MEC Offensive Player of the Week, hit the equalizer for Notre Dame. From the left side of the field, a pass entered the box and was headed into the air by Silva. As it came down, Almeida was in position and headed the ball into the back of the net.
 
NDC ended the game with 23 shots taken.
 
On Oct. 22, Notre Dame will be on the home turf for the first time since Oct. 8 when West Liberty comes to South Euclid. Kickoff is scheduled for 3 p.m.