Shepherd Mens Soccer lost to Notre Dame (Ohio) Tuesday, Sept. 6, 2-0 in their home opener.
The Falcons scored in the first half on a beautiful side-step shot in the upper right corner by Leonardo Paiva, a junior, that was set up by Thomas Freitas, a senior. Frietas also assisted on a spectacular give-and-go goal that was scored by Arthur Favero, a sophomore.
From the opening whistle, the Falcons showed great discipline by possessing the ball and making timely passes around the Rams’ defense to set up countless shots on goal. As the game went on, it appeared that fatigue set in for Shepherd thanks to the Falcons’ possession and passing.
The Falcons outshot the Rams 26-6 and had a tremendous advantage in corner kicks (11-0).
In what was a physical game with many 18 fouls, both teams showed determination and perseverance in the warm conditions.
One bright spot for the Rams was the play of Senior goalkeeper Alex Aleshire, who recorded 7 saves, many of them of a high degree of difficulty. Aleshire made these saves by punching the ball with one hand while flying through the air and diving at awkward angles that would be challenging for any goalkeeper to execute.