In the season opener, Notre Dame College defeats Gannon University 3-0 on Thursday afternoon, as Giulio Bellei scored the first two goals for the Falcons and the defensive side kept the Golden Knights off the scoreboard.
The two teams went back in forth early in the contest. Leonardo Paiva took a shot that was blocked, with 39:52 remaining in the first half. A little more than a minute and a half later, Gannon was able to get their first shot off as Sergio Kobowane missed with a header.
Between the 27:47 minute mark and the 11:15 mark, the Golden Knights took seven shots, while the Falcons could not get the ball close enough to take a shot in that time. Notre Dame broke through when Bellei put the ball in the back of the net with 8:30 remaining before halftime.
Notre Dame head coach Carl Nolan spoke about Bellei’s performance, after the game. “Bellei’s work-rate and aggression really paid off,” Nolan said. “One of Bellei’s many strengths is the intensity that he brings to every situation.”
At the half, Gannon had taken six more shots than the Falcons (8-2).
To begin the second half, the Knights went right at the Falcons taking five shots on NDC’s side of the field within the first five minutes of the half, but could not score.
“The defense’s concentration was immense. They reacted to everything that was thrown at them today,” Nolan mentioned. “Gannon is a very good team that will win a lot of games, so to shut them out is great.”
At the 31:02 mark, the Falcons scored their second goal as Bellei knocked the ball into the back of the net off an assist by Paiva. Not much later, Paiva was able to score a goal of his own at the 19:30 mark, putting NDC up 3-0.
The rest of the way, Gannon only took two additional shots.
Notre Dame took nine shots, five shots on goal and Gannon took 19 shots, nine on goal. Daniele De Angelis started at goalie for the Falcons and recorded nine saves. With the goal today, Paiva has now scored in 21 consecutive regular season games.
“Today was a good display of counterattacks,” Nolan said. “We had a good result based on how quickly our attackers took advantage of some key transitions.”
The Falcons will travel to Erie, Pa. again on Sept. 3 to take on Mercyhurst University. The game is set to begin at 3:30 p.m.
