WEST LIBERTY, W.Va. – The West Liberty University men's soccer team dropped a 1-0 decision to Mountain East Conference North Division rival Notre Dame (Ohio) on Friday at the West Family Athletic Complex.
      Coach Sean Regan's Hilltoppers (0-2) and the visiting Falcons (1-0) battled on virtually even terms throughout in an extremely physical match that saw 28 fouls and seven yellow cards.
      The only score of the afternoon came off a free kick by Notre Dame's Antonio Bittencourt following a WLU foul just outside the box in the 34th minute. Bittencourt ripped a shot into the top right corner of the cage, putting the Hilltoppers on the comeback trail for the rest of the game.
      West Liberty had the better of the run of play in the second half, outshooting the visitors by a 7-3 margin over the final 45 minutes and creating several excellent chances, but couldn't get the ball in the back of the net.
      Noah Underwood had 5 saves in goal for the Black and Gold while Isaac Soto and Arvid Engstrom shared the shutout for Notre Dame.
      The Hilltoppers will be back under the lights on March 12 when they host Ohio County rival Wheeling in a 7:30 p.m. match at the West Family Athletic Complex.
  Notre Dame (Ohio)                              1  0 – 1
West Liberty                                            0  0 – 0         NDC: Antonio Bittencourt (unassisted), 33:42         Shots: Notre Dame 10, West Liberty 9
        Saves: Notre Dame 5 (Isaac Soto 2, Arvid Engstrom 3), West Liberty 5 (Noah Underwood 5)
        Corners: Notre Dame 5, West Liberty 4