CKSR (Men's Soccer Captures Share of MIAA Regular Season Title - Chris Nance Named MIAA Offensive Player of the Week)

CALVIN KNIGHT SPORTS REPORT FOR OCTOBER 25, 2011

Men's Soccer Captures Share of MIAA Regular Season Title - Chris Nance Named
MIAA Offensive Player of the Week
MEN'S SOCCER
Calvin 4, Albion 0
By sports information student assistant Andrew Knot
The Knights clinched the regular season conference title with a 4-0 win over
Albion on Tuesday. The conference title is Calvin’s fifth consecutive crown,
its seventh in the last 10 years and its league-leading 22nd overall. Calvin is
the first school in MIAA men’s soccer history to capture five consecutive
league titles. Calvin also clinches the top seed for the upcoming MIAA
Tounament - scheduled for November 4 and 5. The Knights will have homefield
advantage as long as they are alive in the tournament.
Calvin showed early signs of life offensively. In the first 20 minutes, junior
Chris Nance set up senior Tyler Vegter with two chances in front of net, both
of which Vegter narrowly missed over the cross bar.
Then, off the rebound of a block shot, junior Nick Holtrop put a left footed
volley high and wide.
But in the game’s 33rd minute, senior Brad Heethuis was tripped up inside the
box by Albion keeper Brian Greathouse. The foul earned a penalty kick for the
Knights. Nance, the reigning MIAA offensive player of the week, scored his
fourth goal in three games when he placed the penalty kick firmly into the
bottom right of the net.
The Knights followed that up in the first half’s waning stages when sophomore
Ben Honeycutt delivered a chip to senior Brad Wassink, whose sliding effort
beat the charging Greathouse to give Calvin a 2-0 advantage before half.
Calvin continued to attack in the second half. With the ball on the left
endline, freshman Dino Duratovic placed a cross on the head of sophomore Zach
Willis, who directed his shot high to the near corner, putting the Knights up
by three. Willis added another in the 53rd minute when, after working a give
and go with Duratovic, he delivered a shot low and to the far post, to increase
the margin to four.
“I think we’ve started to hit our stride,” said Coach Chris Hughes, who has now
won seven conference titles in his 10 years as head coach. “Our defense came
out strong and our offense figured out how to put the ball in the back of the
net.”
With all 22 of the available players seeing time, Hughes called the game a
complete team performance.
“For a coaching staff, it’s a great feeling to get everyone on the field. And
it puts a smile on the players’ faces,” he added.
The victory improves Calvin’s record to 14-3-1 overall and 10-1-1 in
conference. The Knights host Olivet on Saturday at 2:30.
MORE MEN'S SOCCER
ROYAL OAK, Mich. – The Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association has named
Calvin midfielder Chris Nance its MIAA Offensive Player of the Week in men’s
soccer for games played through October 22. Nance, a junior from Washington
(Warren De La Salle HS), scored three goals and assisted on another in leading
the first-place Knights to two MIAA victories. He scored both goals in a 2-0
victory over Kalamazoo, then had a goal and an assist in a 4-1 win over Trine.
Received on Tue Oct 25 23:24:05 2011