CALVIN SPORTS REPORT FOR NOVEMBER 6, 2004
MEN'S SOCCER
(Written by Jeff Febus & Abby Zylstra '08)
It may not have been as long a wait as what the Boston Red Sox had to endure but it was a wait that had been long enough for the Calvin men's soccer team.
For the first time since 1987, the Knights are the outright MIAA champions and for the first time since 1991, the Knights are headed to the NCAA III Tournament.
Calvin (18-1-1 overall, 13-1-0 MIAA) gained the MIAA crown and the NCAA III Tournament bid with a pulse-pounding 1-0 victory over rival Hope Saturday afternoon in front of an overflow crowd of 2,000 fans at Calvin Field.
The only goal of the game came with just 3:45 left in regulation as senior Joel Vande Kopple (Grand Rapids Christian HS) was able to head in a pass from former high school teammate Kurt Visker (Grand Rapids Christian HS) in a crowded goalmouth. Visker's pass was also a header that left Vande Kopple was able to collect out of the air and redirect into an open net.
The goal was the seventh of the year for Vande Kopple including his fourth game-winning tally. The winning score also sent an already frenzied crowd into a fever pitch.
"It was amazing," said Vande Kopple. "I just saw the ball roll into the net and I lost my mind. I went crazy."
The Knights were then able to hold off the Flying Dutchmen (15-5-0 overall, 12-2-0 MIAA) in the final minutes to gain their school record 15th shutout victory of the year. The final Calvin defensive stand included a clutch save by junior goalkeeper Joe Westra (Grand Rapids Christian HS) with 1:30 left on the clock off a 20-yard rip by Hope junior Geoff Meyer.
With the shutout, Calvin also established a new MIAA record for fewest goals allowed in a conference season as the Knights allowed just one goal, breaking the previous record of three goals given up by Kalamazoo's 2001 team.
"The defense came through once again today," said Calvin men's soccer coach Chris Hughes. "I'm so happy for this group of guys. I know how badly they wanted this (championship). I also tip my cap to Hope. They are a fantastic team and forced us to play our very best. I thought the caliber of play today was outstanding by both teams. It felt like an NCAA III Tournament game."
Unlike its previous game against Hope this year * a 1-0 loss on October 12 * Calvin created offensive scoring chances from the outset with quick ball movement and quality runs through the seams of the defense.
Calvin outshot Hope 11-7 in the first half and would have taken a halftime lead if not for some stellar goaltending from Hope keeper Kevin Butterfield. Butterfield robbed Calvin senior Joel Veldhouse (Sioux Falls, SD) on a shot in the box 11 minutes into the match and then closed the angle on a 20-yard blast by Vande Kopple in the 24th minute that just sailed wide.
Westra was forced to come up with a key save on a blast by Hope's Dan Tresslar in the 36th minute as he blocked spinning rip, allowing the Calvin defense to clear the ball out of danger.
Veldhouse would finish the match with 11 shots at goal, many of which just missed. Veldhouse nearly gave the Knights a 1-0 lead with a 25-yard blast in the 80th minute that skimmed the top of the crossbar.
Hope's best chance of the second half came eight minutes in with Meyer sneaking behind a Calvin defender off a restart and heading a ball that just sailed wide of the far post.
The game-winning goal was set up by a free kick by Veldhouse from the 22-yard line that was initially blocked but then sent back into the goalmouth with Visker heading the ball from right-to-left to the head of VandeKopple.
"It just feels so good," said VandeKopple. "During my career, we've struggled to get over the hump in some of the big games. Now that frustration just flew right out the window."
Veldhouse was a witness to VandeKopple's winning tally and described the winning play. "I couldn't catch my breath for a minute after it happened," said Veldhouse who transferred to Calvin from Creighton University three years ago. "I've been playing soccer since I was five and I can't remember a better feeling than this. It's unbelievable."
Calvin finished the game with a 22-11 shots at goal advantage including an 11-4 advantage in the second half when the Knights had the wind at their backs. Westra picked up four saves in goal in lowering his season goals-against-average to 0.34.
Veldhouse also finished the MIAA season with 40 points in conference play, allowing him to capture his second MIAA scoring title in three years.
The MIAA title is Calvin's 17th overall in men's soccer. Calvin will also be making its fifth overall appearance in the NCAA III Tournament.
The NCAA III Tournament field is scheduled to be announced late Sunday night.
FINAL 2004 MIAA MEN'S SOCCER STANDINGS
Calvin 13-1 (39 points)
Hope 12-2 (36 points)
Kalamazoo 9-5-0 (27 points)
Albion 8-6-0 (24 points)
Alma 7-7-0 (21 points)
Tri-State 3-10-1 (10 points)
Adrian 2-12-0 (6 points)
Olivet 1-12-1 (4 points)
VOLLEYBALL (MIAA Tournament Championship Final)
ALMA * The third time proved to be the charm for the Calvin women's volleyball team.
In a stunning upset, Calvin defeated 18th-ranked Alma College 30-25, 28-30, 30-24, 30-17 in the MIAA Tournament Championship final Saturday afternoon at Alma's Cappaert Gymnasium.
With the victory, Calvin gains the MIAA's automatic bid to next week's NCAA III Tournament.
Ranked sixth in the Great Lakes Region, Calvin (27-8) will be making its 14th trip to the NCAA III Tournament including its first since 2001.
Calvin's MIAA Tournament title is its first since 2001 and third overall in six tries.
Heading into Saturday's championship final, Calvin had dropped seven straight matches to Alma including a pair of regular season defeats this year. In addition, Alma (33-1) entered Saturday's match as the only remaining undefeated team in NCAA Division III volleyball.
Calvin was the aggressor however in Saturday's match as the Knights held a lead almost throughout game one and narrowly missed winning game two. In game three, Calvin gained an early 16-5 lead and held off a late Alma charge to go up two-games-to-one. The Knights then closed out the match with a powerful performance in game four, outscoring the Scots 9-2 down the stretch.
"We came to play today," said Calvin women's volleyball coach Amber Warners who is now 102-34 (.750) in her collegiate coaching career including 81-23 (.779) at Calvin. "Volleyball is a game of momentum and we stayed on top of the momentum wave today. We had a few lulls here and there but we didn't let them bother us. We played like there wasn't any pressure on our team."
Sophomore outside hitter Kristen Kalb (Stow, OH) had a sensational match for the Knights, collecting a career-high 22 kills along with a red-hot .500 attack percentage while also adding 12 digs. Junior outside hitter Katie Schultz (Escondido, CA) was also superb with 15 kills and 20 digs.
"Kristen Kalb and Katie Schultz were unbelievable for us today on the left side," said Warners. "They came up with their best volleyball of the season at the perfect time."
The Calvin victory was a team effort however as four players notched double-digits in kills with junior Christine Hendricks (Cincinnati, OH) added 18 kills and four blocks while senior Kara Kuipers (Unity Christian HS) had 14 kills and two blocks. Freshman setter Katie Zondervan (Lakewood, CA) also tossed out a career-high 71 assists while senior libero Kristin DeGroot (Tulare, CA) had 19 digs in the back row. Senior Megan VanDommelen (Sheboygan, WI) also came off the bench to provide four kills and three blocks.
"It really was a complete team effort," said Warners. "We're peaking at exactly the right time of the season. I knew this team was capable of winning this tournament. It was up to the players to believe it themselves and they did."
Calvin finished the match with a team hitting percentage of .341, collecting 73 kills in 173 total attacks.
Alma was led in defeat by senior Kristin Judson who had 18 kills and 28 digs with junior Erin Fralick collecting 13 kills and senior Caitlin Deis 12 kills. Senior setter Lindsey Baker had 55 assists.
The NCAA III Tournament field is set to be announced Sunday night. Alma still has hopes of gaining an at-large bid to the NCAA III Tournament.
WOMEN'S SOCCER
For the second straight year, Calvin's bid for an MIAA title came up one point short.
The Knights collected their seventh shutout victory of the year in defeating Kalamazoo 1-0 Saturday afternoon but Hope answered with a 3-1 victory at Alma, allowing the Flying Dutch to finish with a 13-1-2 conference record, one point ahead of 13-2-1 Calvin.
Hope also edged Calvin by a single point in the conference standings during the 2003 season.
The only goal in Calvin's victory at Kalamazoo Saturday came off the foot of junior Kara Zuidema (Escondido, CA) in the 59th minute as she whipped in a shot from junior Jill Capel (Unity Christian HS). The assist by Capel was her 15th of the season, establishing a new Calvin single-season record. The previous record of 14 assists had been shared by Tracey Veurink (1990), Larissa Onderlinde (2001) and Sarah Weesies (2001).
Calvin (14-5-1 overall) finished the game with a 19-12 shots at goal advantage with junior goalkeeper Linda Heilman (South Christian HS) collecting one save for the Knights.
Kalamazoo goalkeeper Monisha Berkowski had seven saves for the Hornets.
The assist by Capel gave her 52 points in conference play this year, allowing her to capture the MIAA scoring title for the first time. It marks the fourth straight year that a Calvin women's soccer player has captured the MIAA scoring title as Tricia Dyk was the league scoring champion in 2001 and 2002 and Weesies the scoring champion in 2003.
Calvin also finished the 2004 season by winning 11 of its final 12 games.
FINAL 2004 MIAA WOMEN'S SOCCER STANDINGS
Hope 13-1-2 (41 points)
Calvin 13-2-1 (40 points)
Albion 10-4-2 (32 points)
Kalamazoo 9-6-1 (28 points)
St. Mary's 9-6-1 (28 points)
Alma 6-9-1 (19 points)
Olivet 6-10-0 (18 points)
Tri-State 1-14-1 (1 point)
Adrian 0-15-1 (1 point)
Jeff Febus
Sports Information Director
Calvin College
(616) 526-6169 Office
(616) 526-8551 Fax
Received on Sat Nov 6 20:16:19 2004
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