CSR (Msoccer Falls at Hope/Vball Holds Off Albion)

CALVIN SPORTS REPORT FOR TUESDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2004

MEN'S SOCCER

HOLLAND * At the midway point of the MIAA men's soccer campaign, Hope College is in control of first place in the conference standings.

The Flying Dutchmen (10-3-0 overall, 7-0-0 MIAA) seized control of the top spot with a 1-0 victory over nationally-ranked Calvin Tuesday afternoon at the Buys Athletic Complex. The defeat was the first of the year for Calvin (11-1-0 overall, 6-1-0 MIAA) which saw its 13-game unbeaten streak snapped.

Meanwhile, Hope extended its win streak over Calvin at the Buys Athletic Complex to five games as the Knights have not won in Holland since 1999. Hope has now won six of the last seven meetings against Calvin.

Over the last 20 years, the two rivals are now deadlocked in head-to-head competition with the series standing 19-19-3 during that span.

Heading into Tuesday's game at Hope, Calvin had produced six consecutive shutout victories and held opponents scoreless for over 620 minutes. Hope would break that streak however with a goal by junior Geoff Meyer with just 3:02 left in the first half, ending Calvin's scoreless streak at 665 minutes.

Meyer nearly scored on a header in the game's opening five minutes but sent his shot high over the crossbar. Meyer would not make the mistake with time ticking down in the first half though as he redirected a serve from senior Todd Chappa off a free kick from the 25-yard line that snuck just inside the near post and past Calvin junior goaltender Joe Westra (Grand Rapids Christian HS).

Calvin never seriously threatened in the first half but nearly scored in the opening five minutes of the second half of a corner kick deflection from sophomore Nick Capisciolto (Unity Christian HS). Hope junior goalkeeper Kevin Butterfield was able to make deflect the shot wide of the goal with a fingertip save.

Both teams were credited with 15 shots at goal but Hope clearly had the higher quality scoring opportunities. Hope nearly took a 2-0 lead midway through the first half as junior forward Karter Klingenberg broke free in the Calvin box off a well-placed chip by Hope's Devin McNeil. Klingenberg was able to get behind Westra but his shot at a wide-open goal hit the near post. Klingenberg then got a second whack on a rebound shot but Westra was able to slide in front to make the save.

Minutes later, Hope sent another shot that got behind Westra but Calvin defender John VanWylen (Grand Rapids Christian HS) was able to clear the ball just in front of the goal-line.

Calvin would up the pressure in the final 15 minutes with junior Levi Kool (Holland Christian HS) and sophomore Maurice Wright (Wauwatosa, WI) just missing upper corners with big rips from the 25 yard line. Capisciolto also came close on a chip shot inside the closing 10 minutes but was just wide.

Westra was credited with seven saves in defeat while Butterfield had nine saves for Hope.

Ranked fourth in today's NSCAA Division III Top-25 poll, Calvin now sits in second place, three points behind Hope and just three points ahead of hard-charging Alma which moved to 5-2 in the conference with a 2-1 victory over Albion Wednesday afternoon.

Calvin returns to action on Saturday when it hosts the Bulldogs of Adrian with a RealAudio broadcast (www.Calvin.edu/sports) set for 2:00 p.m.

MIAA MEN'S SOCCER STANDINGS THROUGH 10-12-04

Hope 7-0-0 (21 points)
Calvin 6-1-0 (18 points)
Alma 5-2-0 (15 points)
Albion 4-3-0 (12 points)
Kalamazoo 3-4-0 (9 points)
Adrian 2-5-0 (6 points)
Olivet 0-6-0 (0 points)
Tri-State 0-6-0 (0 points)

OCTOBER 12

VOLLEYBALL

(Written by Abby Zylstra '08)

Calvin holds on to second place in the MIAA standings after a close
match with Albion. The Britons took the Knights to four games on
Tuesday at the Calvin Fieldhouse. The Knights won the match, 30-18,
30-16, 27-30, 30-26.

Calvin scored the first two points of the game, but neither team could
score more than one point at a time until the Knights scored five
consecutive points to give Calvin a 11-5 lead. The teams struggled
scoring and neither team could score more than two points each
possession. The Britons had scored within four points of the Knights.
The battle for points continued until Calvin went on a 9-1 run to win
the first game, 30-18.

The Knights managed the first point of game two, but the Britons scored
a quick four consecutive points to take a 7-3 lead. Calvin battled
back, scoring five consecutive points to tie the game at nine. The two
teams rallied back and forth until the Knights finally pulled ahead on a
15-2 scoring spree, scoring seven consecutive points. The Knights won
the second game, 30-16.

The Britons started off the third game strong, taking an early 3-1 lead.
The Knights matched the three points, tying the game at four. The two
teams fought for points. The Knights finally took the lead after an
8-1 run. Albion rallied back with a 10-1 run, giving the Britons a
three-point lead. The Knights attempted a comeback, but couldn't get
the three-point lead back. The Knights lost the third game,
27-30.

Albion started with the first point of game four, but Calvin quickly
battled back. The two teams rallied back and forth. The Britons
managed a couple four-point runs in the middle of the game to keep
their lead in the game. The Knights trailed most of the game and tried
to play catch-up to the Britons. The Knights had a couple three-point
runs to keep the game close, but the Knights finally pulled ahead with
five consecutive scores to win the game, 30-26.

"The important thing is we pushed for the win," said assistant coach
Laura Tucker.

The Knights were led by several players. Freshman setter Katie
Zondervan [Cerritos, Cal.] amassed 52 set assists and senior Kristin
DeGroot [Tulare, Cal.] contributed 32 digs while junior Katie Schultz
[Escondido, Cal.]. Junior Christine Hendricks [Cincinnati, Ohio] and
senior Kara Kuipers [Hudsonville, Mich.] teamed up to lead the team in
blocks and kills. Hendricks put down 15 kills and Kuipers had 11.
Kuipers collected eight blocks and Hendricks had six.

"It was tighter at times than we wanted," said Tucker. "For that, we
have to give Albion credit. They were absolutely here to play."

The Britons had several key players as well. Junior setter Stacey
Tarnowski [Jackson, Mich.] had 49 assists and junior Tracy Anne
Ballantyne [Clawson, Mich.] led the team with 11 blocks. Senior
Rebekah Wild [Adrian, Mich.] had 29 digs while sophomore Sarah Slammer
[Battle Creek, Mich.] collected 15 digs and led the team with 16 kills.
Twin sister Kristin Slammer followed with 12 kills and junior Courtney
Kroll [Rochester, Mich.] also put down 12 kills.

Albion also committed 18 service errors in the match, helping tip the final balance in favor of the Knights.

Calvin remains in second place in the MIAA with a record of 15-5
overall, and 11-1 in the MIAA. Albion falls to 7-12 overall and 4-7 in
the MIAA.

The Knights return to action at the Elmhurst Invitational on Friday and
Saturday with four nationally-ranked team scheduled to compete in the tournament.
The next home match is Saturday, October 23 when the Knights
host Tri-State and Olivet in a conference triangular.

Jeff Febus
Sports Information Director
Calvin College
(616) 526-6169 Office
(616) 526-8551 Fax
Received on Tue Oct 12 22:36:31 2004