CALVIN KNIGHT SPORTS REPORT FOR OCT. 27, 2015
Women's Soccer is Golden In Overtime at Alma;
Men's Soccer Moves Up in National Rankings and Statistics;
Volleyball Holds Fourth Spot in National Poll
WOMEN'S SOCCER
Calvin 4, Alma 3 (2OT)
ALMA, Mich. - The Calvin women's soccer team improved to 15-2-1 on the year with a double-overtime victory at Alma on Tuesday afternoon. The Knights defeated the Scots, 4-3. The win moves Calvin to 13-0-1 in the MIAA and keeps the Knights two points ahead of second-place Hope in the MIAA standings at 40 points.
"I feel we are mentally tougher after today," said head coach Mark Recker. "Alma came in with a lot of energy. Alma tied it up twice and kept pushing but we didn't fold. I feel that we showed a lot of mental toughness today."
Senior Paige Capel (Hudsonville, Mich./Unity Christian) struck first in the ninth minute for her 10th goal of the season. Freshman Mackenna Nesky (Hudsonville, Mich./Unity Christian) was credited with an assist.
Calvin went into halftime leading in shots, 8-5.
Paige Capel struck again in the 49th minute getting a rebound from her own shot to put the ball in the back of the net for her second goal of the day.
The Scots struck back, Allysen Neumann got Alma on the board in the 56th minute off of a free kick from 26 yards out.
Alma tied the match three minutes later with a goal off of the chest of Agetha Weddle from a free kick from Allison Smith.
The Knights had gone 714 minutes without giving up a goal. The streak had lasted since Sept. 29.
Paige Capel broke the tie with her third goal of the day in the 71st minute. Senior Taylor TenHarmsel (Holland, Mich./Holland Christian) was credited with an assist.
Her three goals were the first Calvin hat-trick since Sept. 30, 2014 when Capel scored three goals in the final 10 minutes at Olivet.
"She is really coming into her own," said Recker. She finally feels that she is playing up to her potential. I am very proud of her."
Ashly Bonam tied the match up for Alma in the 81st minute off of a free kick from 18 yards out.
The two teams would go to overtime tied at three.
Senior Holly Ellerbroek (Holland Mich./Holland Christian) recorded a big save in the 95th minute to save the game from a shot from Jessica Burg.
Mackenna Nesky had a golden opportunity in the 97th minute, but the ball bounced off the crossbar.
Freshman Bekah Maguire (Holland, Mich./Holland Christian) became the hero of the day, putting the ball in the back of the net. Maguire headed the ball in from a pass from Taylor TenHarmsel.
Calvin is now ranked 20th in the latest D3soccer.com Top 25 poll. That poll can be found online at: http://d3soccer.com/top25/women/2015/week8
Calvin returns to action on Saturday as the Knights travel to Olivet.
MIAA WOMEN'S SOCCER STANDINGS THROUGH 10-27-15 GAMES
Calvin 13-0-1
Hope 12-1-2
Olivet 8-4-2
Kalamazoo 8-5-1
Albion 6-7-1
Alma 6-7-1
Adrian 1-9-4
Saint Mary's 2-11-1
Trine 1-13-1
MEN'S SOCCER
The Calvin men's soccer team has risen to the No. 2 spot in the latest Division III Top 25 poll conducted by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America.
The NSCAA Division III Top 25 poll can be found online at: http://www.nscaa.com/rankings/4805/NCAADivisionIII/men/National/Poll7
In addition, Calvin is ranked fourth in the latest D3soccer.com Top 25 poll. That poll can be found online at: http://d3soccer.com/top25/men/2015/week8
In the latest NCAA III statistics, Calvin is ranked second in team goals-against-average (0.23), 3rd in shutout percentage (0.76), 4th in total assists (48), 4th in total goals (61) and 4th in scoring offense (3.59).
Individually, senior goalkeeper Niko Giantsopoulos (Markham, Ont./St. Augustine Catholic HS) is ranked second nationally in goals-against-average (0.241) while sophomore Mitch Stark (South Lyon/South Lyon HS) is ranked 13th in assists (10).
Calvin returns to action on Wednesday when it travels to Kalamazoo for a key league contest slated to start at 7 p.m. The Knights are 16-0-1 overall and 12-0-0 in the MIAA while Kalamazoo is 11-4-1 overall and 10-2-0 in the MIAA.
The game can be followed via live video stream at: https://livestream.com/KalamazooCollege and by live stats at: http://miaa.org/sports/msoc/2015-16/boxscores/20151028_3aip.xml
MORE MEN'S SOCCER
Calvin defender Nick Groenewold has earned the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) Men's Soccer Player of the Week Awards on Monday for matches through Oct. 25.
Groenewold, a senior from Oak Brook, Ill., earned Defensive Player of the Week accolades after he anchored the Calvin defense while scoring a goal in a pair of shutout victories against Olivet and at Adrian last week. He scored a goal on a penalty kick in a 4-0 win over the Comets on Tuesday.
Groenewold added three points with a goal and an assist on the road against Adrian during a 5-0 victory Saturday. He posted a pair of shot attempts in each contest. It marks the third Player of the Week honor for Groenewold this season following recognition on Oct. 5 and Sept. 21.
VOLLEYBALL
The Calvin women's volleyball team remains ranked fourth in the latest AVCA Division III Top 25 poll. Juniata is the top-ranked team, receiving 53 first place votes while Emory (9) is ranked second, Washington University of St. Louis third and Calvin fourth (1).
The latest AVCA Division III Top 25 poll can be found online at: http://www.avca.org/divisions/division-three-women/poll-10-27-15/
Calvin is back in action on Friday when it travels to Adrian for a 6:30 p.m. conference match.
Received on Tue Oct 27 23:05:12 2015
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