CSR (2005 Men's Soccer Outlook)

REPORT FOR AUG. 24, 2005

MEN'S SOCCER ENTERS 2005 AS TWO-TIME DEFENDING CHAMPIONS
(Editor's Note: Third in a series of Calvin fall sports outlooks)

Calvin will make a bid for a third straight MIAA title behind an experienced
cast of players that includes 17 returning letterwinners and nine returning
starters.

The strength of the returning group is the core of defensive players as the
Knights return every starter from its 2004 defensive unit that finished fourth
nationally in defensive scoring average (0.32) and second in shutout percentage
(0.76).

Leading the list of returning defensive players is senior co-captain Kurt
Visker (Grand Rapids/Grand Rapids Christian HS). A three-year starter, Visker
was named a second team All-American by the National Soccer Coaches Association
of America in 2004. A defender with offensive firepower, Visker has seven goals
and three assists in his career. In 2004, Visker scored twice and assisted on a
pair of goals as he was also named to the All-MIAA first team for the third
straight year while also landing a spot on the Great Lakes All-Region first
team. This summer, Visker has served as the starting sweeper back on the West
Michigan Edge, a semi-professional team in the in the USL Premier Development
League.

Other returning starters from the Calvin defense include seniors Peter Malefyt
(Lansing/Lansing Christian HS), Joe Westra (Grand Rapids/Grand Rapids Christian
HS) and John VanWylen (Grand Rapids/Grand Rapids Christian HS) and juniors
Maurice Wright (Wauwatosa, WI/Wauwatosa East) and Nate Kooi (Lynden, WA/Lynden
Christian HS).

Malefyt and Westra were named to the All-MIAA first team while VanWylen was
named to the All-MIAA second team. Malefyt moved into the starting sweeper back
position last fall and thrived, picking up two assists and playing a key role
in 16 shutout victories. VanWylen saw time at the stopper-back position and
picked up one assist during the season. A two-year starter, VanWylen is an
integral part of Calvin's defense and offense with his ability to ignite
Calvin's offensive attack while also disrupting the offensive thrust of the
opposition. VanWylen has also been tuning up for the upcoming season by playing
for the West Michigan Edge this summer. VanWylen will serve as a co-captain
with Visker this fall.

Westra is a two-year starter at the goalkeeper position and has racked up 26
shutout victories in his career and has a career won-loss record in goal of
34-10-1. A year ago, Westra finished fifth nationally in goals-against-average
(0.38).

Wright and Kooi served as Calvin's wing backs last year. Kook picked up a
goal and two assists in his first year as a starter while Wright had a goal and
one assist.

Calvin's defense may not be without many question marks but its offense
might as the Knights graduated two of their top three scorers from a year ago
as midfielders Joel Veldhouse and Joel VandeKopple have graduated. Combined,
the duo provided nearly 50 percent of Calvin's offense in 2004 as Veldhouse
scored 19 goals while VandeKopple had seven.

According to fourth-year head coach Chris Hughes, the Calvin offensive machine
should be just fine in 2005. "There's no question we will miss Veldhouse
and VandeKopple but we have several players who are capable of scoring," said
Hughes. "I don't think there will be any panic among our players about who
will score because we are a veteran team. If anything, the fact that our
scoring will come from a variety of sources will make us less predictable and
more difficult to defend."

The Knights do feature a pair of returning strikers up front in seniors Levi
Kool (Holland/Holland Christian HS) and Matt Cosnek (Hopewell, PA/Hopewell HS).
Kool and Cosnek were both named to the 2004 All-MIAA second team with Kool
picking up two goals and a team-leading nine assists on the year while Cosnek
had eight goals and six assists to rank second on the team in scoring with 22
points. In a second round NCAA III Tournament lost to Wartburg, Cosnek was
particularly affective, ripping off four shots including a pair on goal.

Also returning to the midfield are junior Nick Capisciolto (Hudsonville/Unity
Christian HS) and sophomore A.J. Dufendach (Grand Rapids/Forest Hills Northern
HS). Like Visker, Capisciolto has been playing for the West Michigan Edge this
summer. As a sophomore, the speedy midfielder had four goals and three assists
after notching eight goals and four assists in 2003. Dufendach appeared in all
21 games for the Knights last fall while starting in 14. Over the course of the
season, he picked up three assists.

Another offensive player to watch is junior midfielder David Holwerda (Grand
Rapids/Grand Rapids Christian HS) who picked up eight goals and one assist off
the bench last fall. Of his eight goals, three were game-winners. None were
bigger than his winning tally in the 107th minute of play in a late-season 1-0
overtime victory over Kalamazoo.

Other returning letterwinners include senior Matt Gallagher (Canton/Plymouth
Christian HS), junior Tim VanWingerden (Grand Rapids/Grand Rapids Christian HS)
and sophomores Kyle Becker (Sea Cliff, NY/Kellenberg Memorial), Dave Fortosis
(Wheaton, IL/Wheaton Academy) and Jared Litty (Hudsonville/Hudsonville HS).

In addition, Hughes has brought in a deep and talented freshman class that
should bolster Calvin's depth. "We have a very good freshmen group that
will have the opportunity to learn from a talented group of upperclassmen,"
said Hughes. "The thing that I like about our soccer program right now is
that a culture of hard work and support among our players has been established.
That culture will benefit every player."

Calvin will kick off its season on September 2 when it travels to Anderson
University (IN) to take on the host Ravens in the Pepsi Classic. The contest is
one of several challenging matches against NCAA Division III competition for
the Knights as they are also scheduled to face rugged teams such as Wheaton
(IL), Wooster and John Carroll. The Knights will host John Carroll on September
9 and Wheaton on September 10. The two games will be part of the Cal Bergsma
Memorial Tournament which is co-hosted by Hope College. On September 14, Calvin
will travel to the College of Wooster on September 14.

The Knights will also face NAIA opponent Urbana University at the Pepsi
Classic on September 3 and host Concordia University-Mequon (WI) September 17.
Calvin's game against Concordia will be a special one for Hughes as it will
pit him against his former high school coach Tom Saleska.

"Our non-conference schedule is very demanding but that's the way I want
it," said Hughes. "The teams we play during the non-conference part of the
schedule should prepare us for our MIAA season."

Calvin is scheduled to open defense of its MIAA title on September 21 when it
hosts the Scots of Alma College. Calvin's final week of the league schedule
shapes up to be a pivotal one as the Knights travel to Hope on November 2 and
then host Kalamazoo on November 5.

"I don't think there's any question that we'll have a bulls-eye on our
backs," said Hughes. "Our league has been getting tougher every year. There
are several coaches who have recently entered our league who are doing good
things with their teams. That will make the teams in our league that much more
difficult to play against."

Jeff Febus
Sports Information Director
Calvin College
(616) 526-6169 Office
(616) 526-8551 Fax
Received on Wed Aug 24 16:23:26 2005