Junior Christian Earnest continued his scoring binge with his 14th of the season to lead Notre Dame to a 4-0 victory over Lake Erie in the Eastern College Athletic Conference Division II Championship Sunday night at Korb Field.
With the win, the Falcons (19-0-0) secured their first undefeated season in program history and their first ECAC crown in their first appearance.
Earnest, who recorded 14 goals and four assists in 19 matches, broke a scoreless tie in the seventh minute, assisted by Carlo Manna. The goal would stand as the Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, native’s third game winner of the season.
The Falcons also extended a pair of historic streaks Sunday, pushing their record scoring streak to 82 matches and their home unbeaten streak to 17 matches (17-0-0).
Notre Dame dominated possession in the first half, out-shooting Lake Erie 16-3 in the first 45 minutes. That domination led to Earnest’s opener followed up by Tom Owens’ 10th goal of the season in the 32nd minute.
Those goals gave Notre Dame Head Coach Michael “Mac” McBride’s squad a comfortable lead.
But NDC didn’t waste time after the break, finding the net in the first 10 minutes. Sophomore Carlo Manna smashed home a left-footed volley from outside the penalty area for his second of the season in the 55th minute.
LEC keeper Ricky Carreira, who finished with nine saves, dove to his right but Manna’s strike was well placed giving NDC a three goal lead.
The Storm (8-9-3), who advanced to face Notre Dame by beating Salem International 3-1 in PK’s, responded with a dangerous sequence to try to get the goal back minutes later. But Falcons’ defensive line of Dan Knight, Jacob Sheppard, Philip Cutler, and substitute Chris Fairly was up to the task.
That backline kept the Storm in check, limiting them to just one second half shot that challenged goalkeeper Alex Kline. The program’s all-time leader in shutouts dove to his right ensuring his 20th career clean sheet.
Junior Dean Miller gave the Falcons a 4-0 lead in the 85th minute on a well-executed finish from the top of the box. It was the 10th goal of the year for Miller, who is one of six players to enjoy a breakout season.
For the game, Notre Dame, which has now scored 75 goals through its 19 contests, out-shot Lake Earie Green 31-4, including a 13-2 margin on frame.
The Falcons concluded their season with a perfect season for the first time in program history, after finishing undefeated in the regular season for the second straight year. NDC has not lost a regular season match since Oct. 27, 2009. During that stretch the Blue & White have won 36 regular season contests.
