When the University of Charleston men's soccer team hosted Notre Dame (Ohio) College on Sunday at Schoenbaum Stadium, it pitted the Falcons, who were fifth in Division II in goals scored, against the Golden Eagles, who already had pitched four shutouts and allowed just two goals in six matches.
The irresistible force couldn't budge the immovable object.
In a battle of two top-25 teams contested under skies that went from drizzle to downpour and back, the No. 1 Golden Eagles scored a pair of first-half goals and shut down the No. 21 Falcons' offense in a 2-0 win.
When the final whistle blew, UC (7-0, 4-0 Mountain East) had extended its streak to 323 minutes without allowing a goal, recording its third straight shutout.
"We've got a bunch of guys who buy into what we do," UC coach Chris Grassie said of his defense. "We're not just trying to defend. We're trying to counter-attack. Everybody's bought in and everyone is working hard."
That NDC offense is led by freshman Leonardo Paiva, who entered Sunday's match tied for third in Division II with nine goals. The Brazilian rarely got a good look at UC's net, often covered by two or three Golden Eagles defenders.
That strategy, Grassie said, wasn't just reserved for Paiva.
"I heard when I first began coaching that every team that's ever won the World Cup has more second defenders, more support defenders, in more instances than anyone else," Grassie said. "That's what I've preached here, especially when you have a dangerous player."
The Golden Eagles sport an elite offense of their own, and entered Sunday's match tied with five other teams for ninth in Division II with 20 goals. UC got its first of the game in the ninth minute. Senior Lewis Osborne drilled a shot that bounced off the far post and behind goalkeeper Daniel Nagy. It was Osborne's second of the season and 18th of his career.
The second came with a little less than 8 minutes remaining in the half. Senior Renan Ramos' free kick bounced off a Notre Dame defender and rolled into the net. That was Ramos' second goal of the year and 13th of his career.
The Golden Eagles had several opportunities to widen their lead in the second half, but Nagy was able to defend a barrage of shots on goal. The Falcons (6-2, 3-2 MEC) played a little bit more on Charleston's side of the field in the second half, when they're normally more potent. Fifteen of those 22 goals NDC has scored came in the second half, but UC's defense kept the Falcons off the scoreboard.
Both teams had to deal with the rain that began about 15 minutes before the match's start and didn't let up until after halftime.
"For our part, it made the game tough," Osborne said. "We're a passing team. If there's more water on the surface, like you saw in the second half, it made the game more scrappy, which I think catered to [Notre Dame].
"The first 15 minutes, the rain really wasn't that bad," he continued. "That's when we got the goal and we were really playing good football. We just had to weather the storm and carry on."
The Golden Eagles return to action Wednesday at Wheeling Jesuit, and a win there would give Grassie the most wins in program history. Sunday's win was his 66th since taking over as UC's head coach in 2011, tying Tom Nozica, who won 66 games from 1969-81.
"I've been lucky," Grassie said. "I've sort of had a vision of what I've wanted to do, but without the support of [UC President Ed] Welch and [UC athletic director] Bren Stevens, there's no way I could have done it. They believed in me and believed in the vision."