AMHERST, N.Y. -- Notre Dame closed out their 2009 regular season with a 2-1 win over Daemen (N.Y.) in double overtime on Saturday afternoon. #Lauren Acker# continued her recent hot streak by connecting on the game-winner, and NDC won for the eighth time in nine matches.

The Falcons have now won four straight and two in a row via a late goal.

With a game-time temperature in the 40s and winds gusting to 30 miles per hour, Notre Dame won in conditions they know could impact the next stage of their season - the postseason.

Up next for NDC is the American Mideast Conference Tournament, which will feature the league's top six finishers. The Falcons (11-6, 8-3 AMC) came into Saturday's action needing a win coupled with a Mount Vernon loss in order to receive a bye in that postseason tournament. With the 2-1 victory against Daemen (7-8-1, 5-5-1) and a 2-0 win over Cedarville by MVNU, the Falcons have locked up the No. 3 seed in the tournament. That means NDC will host a first-round match on Saturday, Nov. 7. It also spells the Falcons' third consecutive appearance in the postseason.

“We played well today,” said Head Coach #Mike Shiels#. “It was unfortunate that we couldn't hold the lead in regulation, but it's still a good win for us to play in those conditions on the road.”

Sophomore forward #Katie Christensen# scored Notre Dame's first goal of the afternoon, when she corralled a #Lauren Kobylik# cross for a netfinder in the 14th minute. The Falcons would take that lone goal into the second half and into the 61st minute before a shot got past NDC keeper #Emilie Lamarche#. That goal was scored by the Wildcats' Kelsey O'Leary, who dribbled up the middle and fired a shot into the lower left corner to knot the game at 1-1.

That would be the score at the end of regulation, at the end of a first overtime and into the 103rd minute of the contest, when Acker launched a shot over the head of Daemen keeper Marisa Alfieri. The game-winner for Acker marked her ninth goal in the falcons' last eight matches and her sixth game-winning goal of the season.

Over the four periods, the host Wildcats outshot Notre Dame, 24-15. Lamarche loomed large in the match - she made a season-high 14 saves on 15 shots on goal. The Falcons put eight shots on target.

With the win in the second extra session, the Blue & White are now 3-0 this season in overtime matches. They are now 6-4 in 10 road tilts and have defeated Daemen in four consecutive matches, dating back to the 2006 season.