Box Score
LYNDHURST, Ohio -- Notre Dame defeated previously unbeaten Shepherd (W. Va.), 13-12, at a cold and snowy Korb Field on Friday night.

In a game that marked the 2013 season opener for the Falcons, NDC scored five of the last six goals of the contest to pull out a come-from-behind win.  Notre Dame (1-0) worked its way to a 13-12 lead at the 6:53-mark in the second half and then held on for the victory against Shepherd (3-1), a team that bested NDC by one goal a year ago (19-18 on April 21).

Madalyn Dewling and Katherine Doraty each scored three goals for the Falcons, who won a season lid lifter for just the second time in program history.

Notre Dame and Shepherd split the first six goals of the contest, and the score was knotted at 3-3 by the 20:28-mark.  NDC then went on a 4-1 run to go up, 7-4. But Shepherd countered with its own 4-1 run over the balance of the first, and the two teams went into halftime tied, 8-8.

Shots were a near-even exchange in the opening half, with the Falcons notching 17 and the Rams posting 15. By halftime, snow had accumulated on the field, completely obscuring yard lines.    

Hanna Wharton scored the first goal of the second half, lifting Shepherd to a 9-8 lead. That netfinder would be the first of three straight goals for the visitors.

A Katherine Doraty goal at 22:26 brought Notre Dame to within one (11-10).  At 20:20, Doraty scored again to tie the score.

With snow continuing to fall, the two teams played scoreless lacrosse for the next nine minutes. Madalyn Dewling punctuated that stretch with a netfinder from six yards out at 11:37.   

Christina Ferrara tied the game at 12-12 with a goal at 6:53. Jill Dixon scored on a feed from Shannan Edwards at 5:41, and that vaulted NDC back into the lead.

Notre Dame preserved that lead over the final six-plus minutes to earn its first 2013 victory at frozen Korb Field. The Rams came within an eyelash of tying the game with 21 seconds left, but second-half goalkeeper Amanda Matusik came up with a point-blank save to keep Shepherd off the board.

Six different Falcon players scored in the contest which was delayed several times in order for the field crew to clear lines by each goal. Dewling and Doraty each scored three. Kristen Hull added two goals and an assist; she also caused two turnovers.

Notre Dame outshot Shepherd, 30-23. The Falcons are now 6-3 in nine all-time home openers.