CSR (Men's Soccer Headed to NCAA III Final Four/Women's Soccer Falls in Quarters/WXC 3rd - Men's XC 13th)

CALVIN SPORTS REPORT FOR NOV. 21, 2009 (Part Two)

Men's Soccer Team Headed to NCAA III Final Four After Shootout Win Over
Transylania;
Women's Soccer Falls to Washington University in National Quarterfinals;
Women's XC Third at NCAA III Championships - Men's XC Team 13th

MEN’S SOCCER

PITTSBURGH, PA - For the first time in school history, the Calvin men’s
soccer team is headed to the NCAA III Final Four. The Knights advanced to the
national semifinal with a 4-3 shootout victory over Transylvania (KY) Saturday
night on the campus of Carnegie-Mellon University.

The game finished in a 1-1 double-overtime tie with Transylvania scoring a
late second half goal to tie the game at one. In the shootout, Calvin junior
goalkeeper Ryan Bratt came up with three clutch saves with freshman Chris Nance
scoring the clinching goal in the shootout. Chris Nance is a graduate of Warren
DeLaSalle High School in suburban Detroit.

The shootout win is Calvin’s second of the NCAA III Tournament. The Knights
also edged Wartburg 3-2 in a shootout last Saturday night in a second round
NCAA III Tournament game.

Calvin (17-4-3) will be making its first-ever trip to the NCAA III Final Four
in men’s soccer. The Final Four is scheduled to be held in San Antonio,
Texas, December 4 & 5. Calvin will be the second MIAA school to advance to the
Final Four in men’s soccer with Alma also doing so in 1999.

Calvin took an early lead against Transylvania (16-3-3) on a goal by senior
Alex McKenzie (Lindenhurst, IL/Antioch HS) in the eighth minute of play but
Transylvania tied the game on a breakaway goal by Pierre Manga with just 17:56
left in regulation.

The McKenzie goal - his ninth of the season and second of the NCAA III
Tournament - was set up by a long pass from the left with freshman Dan
Nederhoed (East Kentwood HS) and junior Kyle Billin (Unity Christian HS)
drawing assists on the play.

Calvin held a 7-5 shots at goal advantage in the first half and then outshot
the Pioneers 14-3 in the second half but Transylvania was able to tie the score
on a quick counterattack by Manga.

Calvin nearly retook the lead in the 82nd minute on a header by senior Luke
Holtrop (Unity Christian HS) that beat the keeper but was saved off the
backline by a Transylvania defender.

Calvin nearly won the game in the first overtime when junior Tyler Vegter
(Unity Christian HS) took a chip in the Transylvania box and headed a shot to
the top shelf of the goal that was deflected over the crossbar with a leaping
stab by Transylvania goalkeeper Trey Kramer.

In the shootout, Transylvania scored on its first attempt but Calvin junior
Scott Hooker (Unity Christian HS) followed with a shootout goal to tie the
score. Bratt then stepped up and made the first of three saves in the shootout.
Calvin missed on its second attempt and Transylvania quickly followed with a
goal that was answered by a goal by Luke Holtrop to tie the score 2-2.

Bratt then came up with save number two and Calvin freshman Joe Broekhuizen
followed with a shootout goal to put the Knights up 3-2. Transylvania knotted
the score at 3-3 with a goal and a subsequent save by Kramer but Bratt came up
huge again, stuffing Transylvania’s sixth attempt, setting up the
game-winning shootout goal by Nance.

“Ryan Bratt made the saves he was capable of making,” said Calvin coach
Chris Hughes. “We all have full faith in him and he came up with the big
plays.”

As for freshmen Joe Broekhuizen and Chris Nance converting in the shootout,
Hughes was also assertive. “I have full faith in my freshmen. Chris Nance has
not missed a penalty in training and Joe Broekhuizen is the same.”

Calvin finished the game with a 26-9 shots at goal advantage. Bratt had five
saves for Calvin while Kramer had 12 saves for Transylvania.

Despite holding a large shots at goal advantage, Calvin was challenged by the
physical Pioneers according to Hughes. “Transylvania is a very strong
physical team and we knew that to counter that, we had to play our game which I
thought we did,” said Hughes. “They have a wonderful goalkeeper who made
some big saves and as I mentioned last night, they are very dangerous on the
counterattack and got one in the second half. I am just so proud of my players
though, every last one of them. Everyone contributed to this victory
tonight.”

As for making its first appearance in the Final Four, Hughes is excited.
“The best part about it is that we get to practice and be around each
other for two more weeks,” said Hughes, a 1992 Calvin graduate and a former
All-MIAA defensive player for the Knights. “I’m just thrilled for my
players, the program and for all our soccer alumni.”

WOMEN’S SOCCER
(written by sports information student assistant Andrew Knot)
Washington University 2, Calvin 1

The Calvin Women’s Soccer team fell 2-1 to Washington University on Saturday
evening on the campus in Rock Island, Ill on the campus of Augustana College.

Calvin drew first blood in the late stages of the first half, with an Emily
Ottenhoff set piece finding the head of Carly Prins, a recipe that has garnered
much success for the Knights in postseason play. But WashU equalized with
immediacy, knotting the score at 1-1 just 37 seconds later.

The Bears charged down the field and Becca Heymann was able to drill a shot
into the top-shelf and level the score at one. The teams entered half-time
tied at one, each looking for the extra effort to put them over the top.

Twelve minutes into the second half, Washington found that effort. Lee Ann
Felder then ushered a ball into the goal after a Caryn Rosoff cross was sent
tight on the goal line, giving the Bears a 2-1 lead.

After surrendering that lead, Calvin was able to muster up a few legitimate
chances on net, but unable to find the back of the net on a few occasions in
the second half.

The loss capped a historic season of extremes for the Knights. After a
deflating, and seemingly eliminating loss in the semifinal round of MIAA
tournament play, Calvin was able to rebound and advance the furthest any Calvin
team has advanced, matched only by the Knights’ 2006 campaign. This hard
fought effort lead Calvin to the elite eight, outscoring opponents 7-1 in that
stretch. Calvin’s momentum-fueled rush in postseason play has sealed the
season as a success.

With this season class bookending their college careers with elite eight
appearances, Coach Mark Recker had nothing but good things to say about them.

"A program's success is a measure of what each class gives back and these
seniors have left a strong and long lasting impression in the program,” said
Recker. He continued, "We have nothing to be ashamed of or to hang our heads
over. This group succeeded and did so in a way that they should be proud of."

NCAA III CROSS COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIPS RECAP

CLEVELAND, OH-The top-ranked Calvin women’s cross country team could not
overcome an uphill final half-mile in its bid for a national championship on
Saturday. Heading into the final mile, the Knights were in position to go for
the win but slid back down the stretch of a hilly Highland Park Golf Course to
finish 24 points out of first place. Second-ranked Wisconsin-Eau Claire won the
race with a team score of 171 points with St. Lawrence (NY) placing second with
180 points.

Calvin’s top finisher was senior Jessica Koster (Grand Rapids/Grand Rapids
Christian HS) with a 34th place finish (22:50) that was good for All-America
honors. Senior teammate Jesi Hale (Rehoboth, NM/Gallup HS) just missed an
All-America berth (top 35), placing 36th with a time of 22:53. Rounding out
Calvin’s finishers were senior Lauren Bergstrom (Rochester, MN/Century HS) in
48th (23:05), sophomore Jodi Hoekstra (Homer Glen, IL/Chicago Christian HS) in
75th (23:22), senior Liz Smit (Kirkland, WA/Bellevue Christian HS) in 95th
(23:34), junior Gretchen Braymer (Erie, PA/Collegiate Academy) in 150 (24:03)
and senior Sarah Dugan (Freeland/Freeland HS) in 201st (24:36).

Wisconsin-Eau Claire had two All-Americans while St. Lawrence had three
including individual national champion Wendy Pavlus with a winning time of
21:28.

“It was a very tough course with unforgiving terrain,” said Calvin head
cross country coach Brian Diemer. “We are a strength-based program so we
thought we would be in good shape and heading up the final hill, it looked
pretty good but we just came up a little short. I’m proud of our women. They
gave it their all. It just hurts because we came here to win but I would rather
dream big like this team did than sit back and not go for it.”

Assistant coach Al Hoekstra agreed. “The women’s team went for the win and
that’s all you can ask for as a coach,” said Hoekstra. “It was a very
tough course and we just came up a little short.”

In the men’s race, 15th-ranked Calvin took 13th with a team score of 385
points. Sophomore Nick Kramer (Dyer, IN/Illiana Christian HS) led Calvin with a
49th place time of 26:21 with freshman Matt VanderRoest (Ann Arbor/Ann Arbor
Huron HS) close behind in 51st place (26:22). Calvin’s next two runners were
senior Aaron Goodman (Milwaukee, WI/Milwaukee Lutheran HS) in 90th (26:40) and
senior George Visser (Winfield, IL/West Chicago HS) in 139th (27:01).
Calvin’s final three finishers were junior Alex Wrobel (Arden Hills,
MN/Mounds View HS) in 182nd (27:23), senior Ben Van Wyk (Sussex, NJ/High Point
HS) in 216th (27:43) and sophomore Dan Kerr (Petoskey/Petoskey HS) in 221st
(27:45).

“I am extremely proud of this team,” said Diemer. “The fact that we had
a sophomore and a freshman that far up is huge for our future. This team
planted some seeds for the future with today’s race.”

Hoekstra also stated that several of Calvin’s young runners who did not
compete on Saturday also benefitted from watching Saturday’s race.
“There’s no question that today’s race was not only beneficial to
the young guys who competed but also the young runners who watched from the
sidelines. They got a first-hand look at what it takes to run at a championship
level and that will drive them next year and in the years to come.”
 
North Central (IL) cruised to a national title, winning with a team score of
50 points. The Cardinals placed five runners in the top 21 and had seven in the
top 35 to become the first school in NCAA III cross country history to record
seven All-Americans in the same year. The national title is the 13th in North
Central men’s cross country history - more than any other NCAA Division III
cross country program.

For more on Saturday’s race, listen to interviews with Brian Diemer and Al
Hoekstra on-line.

http://www.calvin.edu/sports/audio/09/XCountry/BrianDiemerNCAAs09.mp3

http://www.calvin.edu/sports/audio/09/XCountry/AlHoekstraNCAAs09.mp3
Received on Sun Nov 22 00:24:13 2009