Thrice is nice
Bernot hat trick leads NDC over Urbana
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URBANA, Ohio –Junior forward Natalie Bernot (Mentor, OH) scored three goals to lead Notre Dame to a 3-0 road victory at Urbana Thursday afternoon. The newcomer, who transferred to NDC from John Carroll this past off-season, doubled her season goal tally (from three to six) with two first half scores and on in the second, as Notre Dame (10-3-2, 4-1 AMC-N) topped Urbana (13-4, 3-2 AMC-S) in American Mideast Conference (AMC) interdivisional play.

The win for NDC is their third straight, with all coming over the last six days and on the heels of what had been a three-and-a-half game scoring drought and three straight losses. The Falcons' three-goal output is their most since scoring three times in a 3-1 home win over St. Francis (IL) on Sep. 8. The shutout is the Falcons' second in a row and ninth for the season.

Emilie LaMarche (Fr/Rockland, ONT) went the distance in goal for the Falcons, stopping five shots en route to running her record to 10-3-2 with nine shutouts. The standout freshman netminder now sports a season goals-against average of 0.51 and a save percentage of .918.

Offensively, Bernot supplied the firepower that the NDC offense had been lacking. Bernot also displayed an all-around versatility in finding different ways to get the ball in the net; she scored on a corner kick, a free kick, and a 15-yarder in play.

Bernot's first goal came at the 30-minute mark, on a bender from the corner. She followed that up at 34:27 on a free kick to give the Blue & Gold a 2-0 lead heading into halftime. Bernot collected her third and final score at 69:21 on a 15-yarder. All three goals were unassisted.

For the match, NDC outshot Urbana, 14-12, with 12 of their opportunities coming in the first half of play. The Blue Knights collected 10 shots of their own in the second. NDC put nine shots on goal for the match, with five of those off the feet of Bernot.

The Falcons' next match is scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 20, when they visit winless Carlow-PA (0-14-1, 0-6). Kickoff is slated for 11:00am.

Notes from the Nest...

Nice hat: Bernot's three goal effort was the Falcons first hat trick this season. The junior forward is now tied with Megan Wydra (Jr/North Royalton, OH) for the team lead in goals this season, with six.

Long Knight: NDC's victory Thursday was their first over UU since defeating the Blue Knights, 4-1, on Oct. 26, 1999, in the first-ever meeting between the two programs. Since 1999, Notre Dame had been 0-5 against Urbana and had been outscored seven goals to one.