CKSR (Women's Soccer Falls at University of Chicago / Men's Soccer and Women's Teams Set to Kick Off Seasons / Softball Players Receive All-American Scholar-Athlete Honors)

CALVIN KNIGHT SPORTS REPORT FOR SEPT. 1, 2016

Women's Soccer Falls at University of Chicago;
Men's Soccer/Volleyball Set to Kick Off Seasons;
Softball Players Receive All-American Scholar-Athlete Honors

WOMEN'S SOCCER
University of Chicago 2, Calvin 0

CHICAGO, IL - Calvin opened its 2016 campaign with a 2-0 loss at the University of Chicago Thursday afternoon. The game marked the season opener for both teams and marked a meeting of nationally-ranked teams as Calvin entered the match ranked 11th and Chicago ranked 21st.

Chicago held the run of play throughout the first half and finally broke through for the first goal of the game, scoring in the 44th minute as Jenna McKinney booted in a shot from the left side of the box.

The host Maroons gained a 2-0 advantage early in the second half as Madori Spiker scored off a deflection in the 51st minute.

Calvin was able to come up with four shots at goal in the second half including two shots on frame but was unable to find the back of the net.

Chicago finished the game with 14 shots at goal to Calvin's four. Playing on the outskirts of her hometown, junior Anica Pausma (Tinley Park, Il./Chicago Christian HS) had five saves for Calvin in her first collegiate start in goal. Katie Donovan had two saves in posting a clean sheet in goal for Chicago.

"We knew this would be a tough opening game," said Calvin women's soccer coach Mark Recker. "Chicago has a quality program and they (the Maroons) showed that they will be a quality program this year. We are working in several new players and also returning players into new roles but I thought we competed well. We will learn from this game and continue to get better."

Thursday's game marked the 11th meeting all-time between Calvin and Chicago in women's soccer. Calvin still leads the all-time series 5-4-2 including a 3-1 win over Chicago in 2015.

Calvin returns to action on September 7 when it travels to Trine University for its MIAA opener. The match at Trine is scheduled to begin at 4 p.m.

MEN'S SOCCER

The Calvin men's soccer team will open its season Friday afternoon against Capital University at 4:30 p.m. as part of the Fred Myers Invitational hosted by Ohio Wesleyan University.

The game will feature live stats at: http://go.owu.edu/~owusport/BishopLive/msoccer/live.html and live video at: https://www.owu.edu/about/follow-owu/stream-owu/

VOLLEYBALL

The Calvin women's volleyball team will open its season on Friday at the Gargoyle Classic on the campus of the University of Chicago. Calvin will take on Millikin University at 3 p.m. and will then face Wisconsin-Eau Claire at 5:30 p.m.

This year, the Calvin women's volleyball team has added a team blog which can be found at: https://calvinvolleyball.blogspot.com/. The blog includes entries from coaches and players and will be updated throughout the season.

SOFTBALL

Five members of the 2015-16 Calvin softball team have been named All-American Scholar-Athletes by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association.

The five Calvin softball players to be so honored are Lydia Gildea, Paige Groom, Jessica Brasser, Anna Gernant and Abby Colon.

In order to receive the award, individuals needed to have maintained a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.50 or above for the 2015-16 academic year.

A native of Gobles and a graduate of Gobles High School, Gildea was graduated from Calvin last May and is currently a graduate student at Western Michigan University. A catcher, Gildea was named to the All-MIAA first team and NFCA Division III All-Central Region second team last spring.

Groom hails from Potterville and is a graduate of Potterville High School. A pitcher, Groom was 6-4 in the circle for the Knights last spring and compiled six complete games. She is heading into her senior year this fall at Calvin.

Brasser is from Grand Rapids and is a Grand Rapids Christian High School graduate. Calvin's starting shortstop the last two years, Brasser batted .324 last spring with 26 runs batted in and 23 runs scored. She is headed into her junior year at Calvin this fall.

Gernant is from West Des Moines, Iowa. She is a graduate of West Des Moines Valley High School. Gernant was a multi-dimensional threat for Calvin as a freshman last year, serving as a pitcher, first baseman, outfielder and designated player. She compiled a 13-7 pitching record with 151 strikeouts while batting .333 with 18 runs batted in. She was named to the All-MIAA first team and to the NFCA All-Central Region third team. Gernant is headed into her sophomore year at Calvin this fall.

Colon is from Caledonia. She is a graduate of Grand Rapids South Christian High School. Colon saw time last year at first base and at the designated player spots. She batted .277 with eight runs batted in. Colon is headed into her sophomore year at Calvin College.
Received on Thu Sep 1 22:19:51 2016