CALVIN SPORTS REPORT FOR SEPTEMBER 17, 2008
Women's Soccer Drops Heartbreaker to Wheaton in OT;
Volleyball Picks Up Key Road Win At Alma
WOMEN'S SOCCER
Wheaton 2, Calvin 1 (OT)
GRAND RAPIDS -- In a game featuring two nationally-ranked teams and a playoff atmosphere, the Wheaton Thunder came up with a dramatic overtime goal to claim a 2-1 victory at Calvin's Zuidema Field Wednesday afternoon.
Wednesday's contest featured two nationally-ranked teams as Wheaton entered the game ranked 11th nationally while Calvin was ranked 14th. Wheaton (4-1-0) also entered the game as the two-time defending national champions.
Prior to last weekend, Wheaton had rattled off a 48-game win streak but saw the streak snapped on Saturday with a 1-0 loss at Loras. On Wednesday, Calvin (4-2-1) had the Thunder on the ropes but could not come up with the win with Wheaton snapping Calvin's 25-game home unbeaten streak in the process.
Playing in front of a vocal crowd, Calvin took an early 1-0 lead on a goal by junior Emily Ottenhoff (Palos Heights, IL/Chicago Christian HS) just 3:37 into the match. Ottenhoff broke free in the Wheaton backfield on the play and ripped a shot from the 25-yard line just inside the far post for her team-leading fifth goal of the year.
Wheaton responded however as Laura Karsten roofed a shot just inside the near post in the 12th minute of play after receiving a through ball pass from teammate Jaime Orewiler.
The game remained tied 1-1 with both teams coming up with strong scoring opportunities throughout the remainder of regulation time. Wheaton senior Kari Klynstra had a glorious chance from point-blank range with just over four minutes left in the first half but Calvin junior goalkeeper Alyssa Bergsma (Walker/Calvin Christian HS) was able to bat the shot away.
In the second half, Ottenhoff sent a header off a corner kick just wide in the 79th minute and Klynstra came up with a header that Calvin junior goalkeeper Kayla Sulzer (St. Charles, MO/Whitfield HS) was able to snatch out of the air.
In the opening minutes of overtime, Calvin senior midfielder Michelle Koele (Denver, CO/Denver Christian HS) broke free for a shot just outside the Wheaton box but Wheaton keeper Ingrid Erickson was able to stuff Koele's shot and then made a second save on a Koele rebound blast.
Wheaton then cashed in the closing seconds of the first overtime as the Knights were whistled for a foul, giving the Thunder a free kick from the 30 yard line along the right side of the field. Using a quick restart, Wheaton's Lauren Moser served the free kick to the far post with teammate Ann Turner heading the chip just over the outstretched hands of Sulzer into the top shelf of the goal with only 10 seconds left on the clock.
"This one hurts a little bit because we had our opportunity in regulation and we had our opportunity in overtime," said Calvin women's soccer coach Mark Recker. "The game-winning goal was a well-constructed play by Wheaton and they executed the play exactly the way I would have wanted with a quick restart. I think the thing we learned from this game is that you must have mental toughness when you play against an opponent like Wheaton. If you have a scoring chance or a defensive play that needs to be made, you must execute and not lose your concentration."
Wheaton finished the game with a 13-9 shots at goal advantage. Bergsma came up with two saves for Calvin in one half of play with Sulzer collecting three second half saves for the Knights. Erickson was credited with four saves for the visiting Thunder.
Wednesday's game marked the 14th meeting between Calvin and Wheaton in women's soccer with the series now tied 7-7.
Calvin will now break until September 27 when it travels to rival Hope for its conference opener with the kickoff slated for noon at Hope's Buys Field.
For a post-game audio interview with Mark Recker, please visit the Calvin web site at: http://www.calvin.edu/sports/audio/MarkRecker091708.mp3
VOLLEYBALL
Calvin 3, Alma 1 (25-21, 16-25, 25-14, 25-23)
ALMA -- The nationally-ranked Calvin women's volleyball team picked up a key conference victory on the road Wednesday night, defeating an up-and-coming Alma squad 25-21, 16-25, 25-14, 25-23.
Ranked 15th in the most recent Division III Top 25 poll, Calvin improves to 9-2 overall and to 3-0 in the MIAA. The Knights are currently one win behind 18th-ranked Hope which is currently 4-0 in league play.
The two rivals will meet on Friday in an early-season showdown at 6:30 p.m. inside Calvin's Huizenga Tennis and Track Center. The match will be aired via Stretch Internet broadcast through the Calvin web site.
In its win over Alma, Calvin was keyed by freshman middle-hitter and current AVCA Division III Volleyball Player of the Week Rebecca Kamp (Orland Park, IL/Chicago Christian HS). Kamp finished the match wtih 18 kills, four digs, three solo blocks and an attack percentage of .455.
Kamp is currently ranked third nationally in kills-per-set (4.83 kills-per-set).
Freshman outside hitter Erin VanderPlas (McBain Northern Michigan Christian HS) also had a strong showing with 10 kills and a block solo while senior Jessica Garlick (Kalamazoo Christian HS) chipped in with six kills.
In the back row, junior libero Kelsey Sears (Traverse City West HS) sparkled with 27 digs while junior Katie Corbett (Stevensville-Lakeshore HS) and senior Stacie Lippert (St. Louis HS) chipped in with eight and seven digs respectively.
Senior setter Lauren DeGroot (Tulare, CA) was also superb with 34 assists, eight digs, three service aces and a pair of kills. In addition, sophomore Kim Wigboldy (Chandler, AZ/Valley Christian HS) had two service aces while Lippert had three service aces.
As a team, Calvin collected 11 service aces and posted 11.5 team blocks.
MIAA VOLLEYBALL STANDINGS THROUGH 9-17-08 MATCHES
Hope 4-0
Calvin 3-0
Alma 4-1
Adrian 2-1
Saint Mary's 2-2
Albion 2-3
Kalamazoo 1-4
Trine 1-4
Olivet 0-4
Jeff Febus
Sports Information Director
Calvin College
(616) 526-6169 Office
(616) 526-8551 Fax
Received on Wed Sep 17 21:48:22 2008
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