SOUTH EUCLID, Ohio – On Wednesday afternoon, Notre Dame College and Davis & Elkins College met in the Mountain East Conference Semifinal round for the second consecutive year and third time in the last four seasons. D&E scored early in the second half to tie the game and early in the first overtime period to grab a 3-2 victory.
 
These two teams entered the contest boasting impressive defensive numbers, as both averaged around one goal allowed per game. But in a surprising start, the match was tied at one, less than six minutes in. Davis & Elkins' Modou Faye found the back of the net, just 1:13 into the contest. About five minutes later, the Falcons were on the attack. Junior Carlos Almeida sent a high pass across the box to junior Ailton Fagner Silva. As the D&E defense tried to follow the ball, Silva had space and sent a line drive into the upper right corner.
 
Notre Dame's goalkeeper Danilo Abayo Wilson saved a shot in the 10th minute to keep the contest tied and the Falcons took their first lead of the contest in the 16th minute. Silva cruised past the Senators down the left sideline and took a quick turn toward the middle of the field. He sent a low pass over to Almeida, who changed directions to move past one last defender and then pushed the ball into the net.
 
Less than two minutes into the second half, D&E's Shemar Daley was one-on-one with Wilson but his shot was punched away by the Falcons' keeper. The Senators put together another attack and Faye scored his second goal of the day in the 54th minute to knot the score up at two.
 
Wilson made another tremendous save in the 71st minute, falling to his left but sticking out his leg to redirect the shot away.
 
While D&E was in control on the offensive end for much of the half, Notre Dame did have a couple opportunities to grab the win near the end of regulation. Silva took two shots, one in the 85th minute and one in the 89th, off of set pieces. The first was off the crossbar and the second was sent in low, but saved by the Senators' Grant Wyles.
 
In the third minute of overtime, Franco Casullo sent a long pass up the field to Johan Magana, on the run toward the goal. Magana sent the ball past Wilson to give D&E a 3-2 lead.
 
The Falcons would take four shots in the second overtime period, but could not score the game-tying goal.
 
Notre Dame is currently sixth in the NCAA Regional Rankings and will wait until the Selection Show on Nov. 13 to find out if they have earned a bid into the national tournament. The top ten teams from the region will advance to the NCAA Division II Playoffs.