CSR (2006 Calvin Men's Soccer Outlook)

CALVIN SPORTS REPORT FOR August 26, 2006

(First in a series of seven Calvin Fall Sports Previews)

2006 CALVIN MEN'S SOCCER OUTLOOK

Under the direction of fifth-year head coach Chris Hughes, the Calvin men’s soccer team has produced an impressive 61-19-4 (.738) mark including a 50-11-3 (.796) record over the last three years. Included in the four-year run are a pair of MIAA titles and back-to-back trips to the NCAA III Tournament.

According to Hughes, the goal of this year’s team is to continue the successful tradition. “The goals are the same,” said Hughes. “We haven’t changed that a bit. We’ll have some new faces and some holes to fill this fall but I’m confident that our team can step up to the challenge.”

This year’s Calvin team will return only four full-time starters from its 2005 team that finished 17-4-2 and reached the third round of the NCAA III Tournament but of the 13 returning letterwinners, nine received at least one start during the 2005 campaign.

The Knights will be led by senior tri-captains Maurice Wright (Wauwatosa, WI/Wauwatosa East HS), David Holwerda (Grand Rapids/Grand Rapids Christian HS) and Nathan Kooi (Lynden, WA/Lynden Christian HS).
Wright is a three-year starter and is coming off a season that saw him land a spot on the All-MIAA second team. Over the course of his career, Wright has produced five goals and nine assists including a career-high seven assists in 2003. A year ago, Wright saw time in the midfield and on the back-line and could do the same again this fall.

A midfielder, Holwerda was a part-time starter in 2005 and has career totals of 13 goals and four assists. As a sophomore in 2004, Holwerda scored eight goals off the bench including three game-winners.

Kooi is heading into his third year as a starter on Calvin’s back-line. A lunch bucket defender, Kooi has also contributed three goals and five assists during his varsity career including two goals and two assists during Calvin’s 2005 campaign.

“I’m very pleased with the selection of our tri-captains,” said Hughes. “All three players are very respected by their teammates and their leadership should prove to be a big plus for our team.”

Other key returning players include juniors Zach Kimmel (Grand Rapids/Kenowa Hills HS), Jared Litty (Hudsonville/Hudsonville HS) and A.J. Dufendach (Grand Rapids/Forest Hills Northern HS) and sophomores Michael Holwerda (Grand Rapids/Grand Rapids Christian HS), Anthony Gratson (Rochester/Rochester Stoney Creek HS), Steve Holwerda (Grand Rapids/Grand Rapids Christian HS) and Zac DiPaolo (Silver Lake, OH/Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy).

Kimmel split time between the midfield and defensive back line last fall. In a late-season 4-0 victory at Hope College, Kimmel scored a pair of goals and finished the year with three goals and an assist. A striker, Litty led Calvin in goals (14) in 2005 and finished second in points (28). A midfielder, Dufendach appeared in 20 games last year and collected one goal.

The younger brother of David Holwerda, Michael Holwerda appeared in all 23 games for the Knights last fall, playing primarily at the striker position up front and netting six goals along with five assists. A mid-season call-up from Calvin’s “B” Team, Gratson also played up front as a striker and scored two goals along with an assist in 11 games. A midfielder, Steve Holwerda appeared in 19 games in 2005 and scored two goals along with two assists. His biggest moment came in a 2-1 sudden-death overtime victory over John Carroll University when he netted the game-winning “golden goal” five-and-a-half minutes into the first overtime seesion. DiPaolo appeared in only seven games during the 2005 season because of injury but appears back to full form for his sophomore season.

Perhaps Calvin’s biggest question mark this fall will be its goalkeeper position as three-year starter Joe Westra has graduated. Sophomore Matt Gardner (Worthington, OH/Thomas Worthington HS) is the incumbent, having backed up Westra last fall and appearing in five games. According to Hughes, sophomore Darrin Cline (Grand Rapids/Grandville HS) will also be in the mix after a year on Calvin’s “B” Team. Hughes also expects a handful of incoming freshmen to compete for time.

“I’d say our goalkeeper position is pretty much up for grabs,” said Hughes. “The positive thing is that I feel that we have several talented candidates looking to grab that spot. One of the unique things about our goalkeeper situation is that we will be one of four or five teams in our league breaking in new goalkeepers this fall. It will be interesting to watch how everything pans out across the league.”

As for the league race itself, Hughes expects a wide-open, hard-fought competition. “I think the league will be as wide open as it has been in some time,” said Hughes. “Just about everyone in our league lost some significant players to graduation so again, it will be interesting and exciting to see which teams fill their holes the quickest and step up to meet the challenges of winning a league championship.”

Hughes also feels that Calvin’s non-conference schedule will prepare the Knights for the MIAA season. Calvin opens the year by co-hosting the Cal Bergsma Memorial Tournament with Hope with Muskingum visiting Calvin September 1 and Goshen coming in on September 2. The Knights will then hit the road to face CCIW powers Wheaton (September 8) and North Park (September 9). The following weekend, the Knights will compete in a tournament hosted by Wilmington University (OH), facing Wittenberg on September 15 and host Wilmington on September 16.

“It’s a very challenging schedule but I like that and so do our players,” said Hughes. “One of the positives is that most of the games are against teams from our own region which is very important now in the eyes of the NCAA ranking committee. The other positive is that the tough competition, particularly on the road, should prepare us well for the MIAA season.”

Calvin’s MIAA season begins on September 20 when it travels to Alma. Calvin’s MIAA home opener is set for September 23 when the Knights host Albion.

Jeff Febus
Sports Information Director
Calvin College
(616) 526-6169 Office
(616) 526-8551 Fax
Received on Sat Aug 26 00:53:03 2006