THIS WEEK - Notre Dame will play away from Korb Field to open the season as the Falcons travel to Rio Grande, Ohio, for the D. Wayne Evans Classic. NDC (0-0-0) takes on Spring Arbor (0-0-0) in the tournament's opening game Friday, Aug. 27, at 4:30 p.m. (EST). The Falcons face Grace College (0-1-0) Saturday, Aug. 28, at 3 p.m. 

FOLLOWING THE ACTION - All Falcon games this season will be audio streamed live on www.notredamefalcons.com. Home contests will be available on LiveStats. 

A LOOK AT SPRING ARBOR- The Cougars have just 13 players who return from last year's 8-10-1 team that finished seventh (2-5-0) in the Mid Central College Conference. Spring Arbor will look to replace Marcel Preis (third in MCC goals, 14) and Eduardo Westenfelder (second in team in goals). The Cougars will look to their four seniors to provide the 14 incoming Freshman leadership on and off the field. Head Coach Anil Joseph will look to take the Cougars back to the success of his 2007 squad and contest for the MCC crown. Over the last three seasons Joseph's squads have gone a combined 28-24-5 finishing a best 3rd in the MCC in 2007. 

THE SPRING ARBOR SERIES - The Falcons and Cougars are meeting for the first time. 

A LOOK AT GRACE - The Lancers dropped their opening match of the season, 6-0, on Thursday, to Mount Vernon Nazarene. Grace's top two returners on offense are senior Ryan Gerber and junior Adam Kitchens. Gerber's six goals and four assists made him a Second Team All-Mid Central College Conference selection despite not playing at full health, and Kitchens tallied five goals and four assists in his first season as a Lancer. While the offense will miss the departures of Greg Fulton (Second Team All-MCC) and Darrell Goff (team-leader in goals and assists). The Lancers will have 10 incoming players, but they will look to their eight seniors to provide the leadership that Grace needs. A strong defensive unit, anchored by seniors Jordan Sharp and Michael Sauers and junior Justin Evans. Sauers, in particular, will be relied upon this year for leadership on and off the field. Head Coach Matt Hotchkin is entering his third year at the helm, inherited a program that finished second-to-last in the MCC in 2007. The Lancers improved to sixth in 2008 and fourth last season. Grace finished 2009 with their best conference season in half a decade, winning four games in the Mid-Central College Conference and securing a first-round MCC Tournament game at Miller Field. 

THE GRACE SERIES - The Falcons and Lancers are meeting for the first time. 

FALCONS SEVENTH HEAVEN - Coming off the school's third men's soccer national tournament appearance, Notre Dame secured the No. 7 position in the NAIA Men's Soccer Coaches' Preseason Top-25 Poll. 

HEAD COACH MICHAEL “MAC McBRIDE - The only head coach in Notre Dame men's soccer history, McBride is in his 10th season at the Falcon helm. McBride owns a 118-52-14 record (.679). He has led his teams to five division championships (2002, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007), two conference championships (2008 and 2009), and has earned three NAIA National Championship appearances (2005, 2008, 2009). The win percentage is the highest among Notre Dame's 22 athletic programs. Joining McBride this season are Associate Head Coach Carl Nolan (sixth season), Assistant Coach David Eyth (seventh season), Second Team Head Coach Marko Raduka (fifth season), and Graduate Assistant Jake Mahaffey (second season). 

KORB FIELD - Falcon men's soccer is tough to beat on Korb Field's state-of-the-art AstroPlay surface. Since the programs inception in 2001, the Falcons are 57-15-2 (.792) at the friendly confines of Korb Field . 

A LOOK AHEAD TO NEXT WEEK - Notre Dame plays another twin bill next week, traveling to Scherville, Ind., to take on Iowa Wesleyan Saturday, Sept. 4 and either Calumet (Ind.) or William Woods University (Mo.). in the Calumet Crimson Wave Invitational. The Falcons return to the Crimson Wave Invitational after defeating Culver-Stockton Mo.) 2-0 and drawing 2-2 with St. Amrose (Ia.) in 2007. The Falcons' First whistle is at 4:30 p.m. on Friday for the opening match, Saturday's match time is yet to be announced.