CALVIN KNIGHT SPORTS REPORT FOR NOVEMBER 21, 2015
Men's Soccer Headed to NCAA III Tournament Semifinals;
Women's Soccer Falls to Centre in NCAA III Tournament Quarterfinals;
Men's Cross Country 23rd at NCAA III Championships - Women's Cross Country 30th
Basketball Teams Drop Saturday Tournament Games
MEN'S SOCCER
Calvin 1, Kenyon 0
GAMBIER, Oh. - For the third time in school history, the Calvin men's soccer team is headed to the NCAA III Tournament Semifinals.
Ranked No. 1 in the country, the Knights (24-0-1) advanced to the semifinals with a dramatic 1-0 victory at No. 3 ranked Kenyon College (19-2-1) Saturday afternoon in a national quarterfinal game.
Calvin will face the winner of a Monday quarterfinal game between Wheaton (IL) and Loras (IA) on December 4 in the NCAA III Semifinals in Kansas City, Missouri.
Calvin previously reached the national semifinals in both 2009 and 2011, eventually losing in the national championship final both years.
Calvin rode the heroics of senior goalkeeper Niko Giantsopoulos (Markham, Ont./St. Augustine Catholic HS) and freshman Jacob Witte (Grand Rapids/Grand Rapids Christian HS) to claim Saturday's victory over Kenyon.
Giantsopoulos was clutch throughout the match, collecting three saves including a smothering stop of a breakaway by Kenyon striker Oliver Wynn with with just over 10 minutes left in regulation time.
Just over four minutes later, Calvin received a breakaway of its own as a ball through the midfield eluded a Kenyon defender with Witte pouncing on the loose ball for a breakaway. Witte made no mistake, slotting a shot to the far post to give the Knights a stunning 1-0 lead with just 6:34 remaining on the clock. The goal was the fifth of the year for Witte who had come on in reserve in the second half.
Calvin's defense then stiffened in the closing minutes with the Knights able to prevent a Kenyon shot from reaching frame.
Both teams had quality scoring chances earlier in the game. In the first half, Calvin junior Isky VanDoorne (Calgary, AB/Western Canada HS) was able to beat Kenyon goalkeeper Sam Clougher to the ball just outside the far right side of the box. VanDoorne then sent a shot from a sharp angle that slipped under a defender attempting to protect the goal but slithered just wide of the far post.
Kenyon finished the game with a 10-7 shots at goal advantage including 8-3 in the second half. The Lords had a header off a corner kick by Tony Amolo sail just high in the 70th minute prior to Giantsopoulos stuffing Kenyon's breakaway attempt nine minutes later.
With the win, Giantsopoulos recorded his 19th shutout of the season, setting a new NCAA III single-season record, breaking the previous mark of 18 set by Joel Wallace of MacMurray College in 1991.
"What a hard-fought game against a tremendous opponent," said an exhausted but elated Calvin head men's soccer coach Ryan Souders after the match. "Our guys from 1-to-26 had incredible resolve all weekend to get this done and that has been a common theme of this team. They wanted to get this done today and they did."
Souders will be leading Calvin into the national semifinals for the first time as a head coach. He previously reached the national semifinals as the starting goalkeeper for Wheaton College in 2006, helping the Thunder reach the national championship final before falling to Messiah College (Pa.).
"As a player, it was an experience that I will never forget and that makes me all the more excited for my guys because of the opportunity that they have in front of them," said Souders. "It is an opportunity that not many student-athletes receive and I am thrilled that this group of players will get that chance."
Souders also spoke on the play of Giantsopoulos who was stellar on Saturday as well as on Friday in Calvin's 1-0 win over Franklin and Marshall. "He's one of the best," said Souders of his starting goalkeeper. "He gives our team great confidence and always gives our team a chance to win. That's all you can ask from a goalkeeper."
Calvin is now 16-12-8 all-time in NCAA III Tournament play. Calvin is 3-2-0 in NCAA III quarterfinal games, having won in 2009, 2011 and 2015 and fallen in 1980 and 2010. The Knights are also now 2-0 in NCAA III Tournament play against Kenyon, having defeated the Lords 2-0 in the first round of the 1991 NCAA III Tournament.
WOMEN'S SOCCER
Centre (Ky.) 4, Calvin 0
PITTSBURGH, Pa. - The Calvin women's soccer season came to an end on Saturday with a 4-0 loss to No. 9 Centre in the NCAA Quarterfinals. The Knights finish the season at 21-3-2, the 21 wins is second-most in program history.
"We played hard today," said head coach Mark Recker. "We ran into a team that had their A-game going and who had a bunch of strong athletes. Centre was able to capitalize on their chances, we kept battling but we had to play catch up, hats off to Centre. We were a team that had a will to win this year, we had some losses due to injuries but we had the mental toughness after what we went through last season. We went 23 matches unblemished going into today and every team that reaches the Elite Eight is special and that is what this team was."
The Colonels struck first in the 13th minute with junior Destinie Graves scoring her 24th goal of the year for Centre. The Colonels would score again five minutes later, this time off of the foot of senior Alex Combs.
Graves struck again in the 51st minute for her 25th goal of the year to give Centre a 3-0 lead. She finished her hat-trick in the 81st minute with her third goal of the afternoon.
Senior Holly Ellerbroek (Holland, Mich./Holland Christian) finished the day with two saves. Freshman Brianna Koehn (Grand Rapids, Mich./Forest Hills Eastern) played the final nine minutes of the match.
The senior duo of Paige Capel (Hudsonville, Mich./Unity Christian) and Taylor TenHermsel (Holland, Mich./Holland Christian) both tallied two shots on goal for Calvin.
Junior Brianna Russell (Plainwell, Mich./Delton-Kellogg) and sophomore Anica Pausma (Tinley Park, Ill./Chicago Christian) both had one shot on net.
The Colonels outshot Calvin on Saturday, 10-6.
Centre advances to the NCAA Division III Semifinals in Kansas City, Missouri.
MEN'S CROSS COUNTRY
WINNECONE, Wisc. - The Calvin men's cross country team took 23rd at the NCAA III Men's Cross Country Championships Saturday afternoon with a team score of 532 points. Saturday's competition was held at the Lake Breeze Golf Course with Wisconsin-Oshkosh serving as host.
Calvin was led by sophomore Andrew Philipose (Mount Prospect, IL/John Hersey HS) who was 76th with a time of 25:23.
Junior Zac Nowicki (Comstock Park/Calvin Christian HS) was next for the Knights, placing 100th in a time of 25:32.
Senior Jeff Meitler (New Berlin, Wisc./Milwaukee Lutheran HS) was 146th in 25:45 while senior Nathan VanHaitsma (Olympia, Wash./Olympia HS) was 196th (26:02) and junior Jordan Kramer (Pewaukee, Wisc./Lake Country Lutheran HS) 198th (26:02).
Rounding out Calvin's top seven were sophomore Mark DeJong (Grand Rapids/Grand Rapids Christian HS) in 224th (26:13) and senior Ethan Anderson (Stillwater, MN/Stillwater Area HS) 241st (26:22).
"It was a challenging race," said Calvin head cross country coach Brian Diemer. "We had some good performances but we left some things out there. A couple of our guys were running a little low on gas today and that's just a fact that at this point of the year, you need to have a cood base of strength to carry you through the national meet. All said, we had a very good year. We have had some building moments this season and I think this team can continue to improve moving forward."
Wisconsin Eau-Claire took the men's team national championship with 135 points. Ian LaMere of UW-Platteville took home the individual national title with a time of 23:35.
WOMEN'S CROSS COUNTRY
WINNECONE, Wisc. - The Calvin women's cross country team placed 30th at the NCAA III Championships with a team score of 701 points.
Calvin was led by junior Lauren Strohbehn (Stillwater, MN/St. Croix Preparatory HS) who made a bid for an NCAA III All-America spot but finished just shy of the top 35, placing 40th in a time of 21:50. Strohbehn was running in All-America position heading into the final half-mile but faded just a touch to miss but just a few places.
Sophomore Kate McLain (Kalamazoo/Kalamazoo Christian HS) was Calvin's next finisher, placing 180th in a time of 22:51.
Freshman Katie Diekema (Kenmore, Wash./Ingelmoor HS) was 215th in 23:06 while sophomore Autumn Vonk (Holland/Zeeland West HS) was 229th in a timeof 23:12.
Rounding out Calvin's finishers were freshman Marissa Hielkema (Lynden, Wash./Lynden Christian HS) in 263rd (23:54), senior Lora Huizingh (Byron Center/South Christian HS) in 267th (23:57) and junior Jessie Mulder (Holland/Holland Christian HS) in 270th (24:00).
"This team has come a long way," said Calvin head cross country coach Brian Diemer. "We had several runners competing at their first national race and I think some of that inexperience showed today. Lauren made a strong run for an All-America finish but she came up just a little short. She's battled through a few nagging injuries and they made have caught up with her in the last 300 meters or so but what a season she has had. This team will learn and grow from this experience and I am looking forward to the future with this group."
Williams College claimed the national title on Saturday with a team score of 81 points. Abrah Masterson of Cornell College was the individual national champion on Saturday with a time of 21:23.
Saturday's race was held at the Lake Breeze Golf Course with Wisconsin-Oshkosh serving as host.
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
Wisconsin Lutheran 86, Calvin 80
MILWAUKEE, Wis. - The Knights fell to 3-1 on the year after falling on the road to Wisconsin Lutheran on Saturday afternoon, 86-80.
Calvin fought back a majority of the match after trailing, 12-2 early in the match. Calvin trailed going into halftime, 40-36.
Calvin would outscore Wisconsin Lutheran in the third period, 31-20, to lead 71-56.
Wisconsin Lutheran took over in the fourth period, outscoring Calvin, 26-13.
Sophomore Ali Spayde (Lewis Center, Ohio/Worthington Christian) led the Knights with 25 points. Spayde went 6 for 12 from behind the three-point line.
Senior Kally Verkaik (Holland, Mich./Holland Christian) picked up a double-double on Saturday with 13 points and 10 rebounds.
Senior Abby Springer (Vernon Hills, Ill./Vernon Hills) recorded nine assists on the day.
The Knights return to action to Tuesday as they travel south to Indiana to play Manchester. The Spartans are 1-1 on the year and are coming off of a loss to Wisconsin-Whitewater.
MEN'S BASKETBALL
Ohio Wesleyan 91, Calvin 83
DELAWARE, Oh. - The Calvin men's basketball team dropped a 91-83 decision at 13th-ranked Ohio Wesleyan University Saturday afternoon at the Great Lakes Challenge.
The Knights (1-1) stuck with the host Battling Bishops throughout the game but could not overcome 27 points from Claude Gray and 19 points from and seven assists from Nate Axelrod of Ohio Wesleyan.
Calvin received a monster game of its own from senior Jordan Daley (Grand Rapids/Grand Rapids Christian HS) who notched his sixth collegiate double-double with 25 points and 16 rebounds as he matched a career high in scoring and established a new career high in rebounds.
Calvin trailed 42-38 at halftime and fell behind by 12 with six minutes left in the game. The Knights rallied to within six at 86-80 with 1:25 left but could not closer as Ohio Wesleyan sealed the game with free throw shooting.
Calvin also picked up 12 points apiece from juniors Brad Visser (Grand Rapids/Calvin Christian HS) and Cameron Denney (Bluffton, Ind./Norwell HS) while sophomore Michael Wilks chipped in with nine.
Calvin will now prepare to travel to Manchester on Tuesday for an 8 p.m. game.
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