NDC horns in on Vikings
Falcons defeat Cleveland State, 4-1

Greg Carroll and Steven Kane each found the back of the CSU net twice in NDC's 4-1 victory.

CLEVELAND – Notre Dame took their show on the road Wednesday, albeit for a short trip. The Falcons visited the Cleveland State Vikings and came away with a physical 4-1 victory.

Notre Dame (5-1-1) came away with the hard-fought win in the first-ever match between the two programs. The win is a bounce-back for the Falcons, who suffered their first loss of the season last Saturday (Sep. 15) against Olivet Nazarene (IN).

"This was a very good match for us," said Falcons Head Coach Michael "Mac" McBride. "We were solid at both ends of the field in what was a tough, physical game."

The Falcons took the lead at 27:53 when Jared Miller (Sr/Avon Lake, OH) pushed an excellent pass from the right corner into the box, and Greg Carroll (Jr/Dunfermline, Scotland) pushed a five-yarder past Viking netminder Dan Duric (So/Mentor, OH). The goal was Carroll's third of the season, and it would be the lone tally of the match's first half.

In fact, Carroll's goal would hold up as the only score for either squad for over 50 minutes of action.

Carroll insured the Falcons' 1-0 lead with a 20-yard free kick from the left side at 81:34. That goal kicked off a furious finish to the match with Cleveland State (2-4-1) pressing to even the score.

The Vikings struck next when Josh Williams (So/Copley, OH) knocked in a rebound off a free kick at 86:50.

The Falcons countered moments later with Carroll feeding a breakaway pass to Steven Kane (Fr/Hillsdale, OH), who scored his first collegiate goal on an empty netter at 87:22.

Kane would cap off the evening's scoring two minutes later on a breakaway 40-yard roller after beating CSU goalkeeper Nick Harpel (Fr/Toledo, OH), who replaced Duric at halftime.

For the game, NDC outshot CSU, 12-10. Falcon goalkeeper Craig Pickering (So/Newcastle, England) collected five saves on six Viking shots on goal.

The match was physical, as evidenced by 38 total fouls (23 for NDC, 15 for CSU), six yellow cards (three for each team), and two red cards. (CSU's Bryan Henson(So/Ashland, OH) and Notre Dame's Boris Smoljan (Jr/Jajce, Croatia) were ejected after receiving red cards with 4:10 left.)

Notre Dame heads back on the road this weekend, this time for a longer bus ride. The Falcons visit Waynesburg (PA) on Saturday (Sep. 22). Saturday's kickoff is slated for 3:00pm.

Notes from the Nest...

Fab five: Greg Carroll's five-point night (2 G, 1 A) gives the junior Scot 10 points on the season (4 G, 2 A), which leads the Falcons through their first seven matches. Carroll also leads the squad in shots (29), and in shots on goal (10).

Pick a card: The Falcons matched a season-high card count Wednesday, when they were carded four times. For the season, NDC has been tagged with 16 yellow cards and two red cards. Opponents have been whistled for nine and one, respectively.

Floodlight countdown: The NDC Department of Athletics and NDC Campus activities will sponsor "Floodlight Madness" at the Falcons next home match Tuesday, Sep. 25. The 7:00pm kickoff will follow on-campus events which begin at 5:30pm. Giveways, prizes, and activities are planned for the event.