CALVIN KNIGHT SPORTS REPORT FOR NOV. 1, 2017
Men's Soccer Topples Trine - Advances to MIAA Tournament Final;
Calvin Lands 10 on All-MIAA Men's Soccer Teams - Vegter Named MIAA MVP
MEN'S SOCCER
Calvin 5, Trine 1
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. - Calvin advanced to the MIAA Tournament Championship final with a 5-1 MIAA Tounament semifinal victory over Trine Wednesday evening at a rain-soaked Zuidema Field.
Ranked #1 by the United Soccer Coaches, Calvin (18-0-1) will host Adrian (11-5-2) in the championship final Saturday night at 7 p.m. at Zuidema Field. The winner will receive the MIAA's automatic bid to the NCAA III Tournament.
Calvin will be playing in the MIAA Tournament Championship final for the sixth consecutive year and for the first time against Adrian.
"We're extremely excited to be playing in the MIAA Tournament final and also to be playing at home," said Calvin men's soccer coach Ryan Souders. "We know that we will have our hands full. Adrian has made huge strides as a program. They are a well-coached and confident team that is on a strong run of form. We will need to be ready for a hard-fought match."
In its victory over Trine Wednesday night, Calvin grabbed a 2-0 lead on goals by sophomore Dillon Weldy (Grand Rapids, Mich./Grand Rapids Christian HS) and senior Matt Hinds (Frankenmuth, Mich./Frankenmuth HS).
Weldy scored in the 21st minute on a through-ball pass from senior Derek Williams (Rockford, Mich./Rockford HS). Hinds then found the back of the net three minutes later as he toe-poked a shot home after a double-header assist from senior Francisco Noyola (East Lansing, Mich./Lansing Christian HS) and junior Trent Vegter (Hudsonville, Mich./Unity Christian HS).
Trine (5-7-6) cut the deficit in half on a penalty kick goal by Chris Clemens.
Just over three minutes later, Hinds put Calvin back up by two goals with a strike from 25 yards out the curled just inside the far post. The goal was the third of the season for Hinds and allowed the Knights to take a 3-1 lead into halftime.
In the 61st minute, junior Jacob Witte (Grand Rapids, Mich./Grand Rapids Christian HS) broke free through the right wing on a pass from sophomore Hunter Olson (Canton, Mich./Canton HS). Witte made no mistake in slotting the bal past the Trine goalkeeper to give the Knights a 4-1 lead. The goal was the ninth of the year for Witte.
Freshman Shaeffer Smith (Columbus, Oh./Worthington Christian HS) completed the scoring by tapping in a squared pass by sophomore Ian Adams (Grand Rapids, Mich./Grand Rapids Christian HS) in the 70th minute of play. The goal was the sixth of the year for Smith with Adams chalking up his sixth assist of the year on the play.
Calvin finished the game with a 21-2 shots at goal advantage. Senior Nate Van Ryn (Grandville, Mich./Calvin Christian HS) and junior Luke Schepers (Holland, Mich./Holland Christian HS) combined on the victory in goal for the Knights with Van Ryn going the first 81 minutes and Schepers the final nine.
"I was very pleased with our effort against a determined Trine team that is on the rise," said Souders. "We did a good job of sticking to our game plan despite the weather and we finished our chances. At this point of the year, any win is a great win."
In Wednesday's other semifinal game, host Adrian defeated Hope 2-1 to advance to Saturday's title tilt.
MORE MEN'S SOCCER
Ten members of the MIAA champion Calvin men's soccer team have received All-MIAA honors.
Leading the list is junior defender Trent Vegter who has been named the MIAA's Most Valuable Player. Vegter has also been named to the All-MIAA first team for the third straight year.
Vegter is joined on the All-MIAA first team from Calvin by seniors Nate Van Ryn, Matt Hinds and Francisco Noyola along with juniors Bobby McCaw and Jacob Witte and sophomores Jacob Lyon and Hunter Olson.
Named to the All-MIAA second team from Calvin are senior Mitch Stark and sophomore Dillon Weldy.
TRENT VEGTER
A native of Hudsonville and a graduate of Hudsonville Unity Christian High School, Vegter is receiving All-MIAA first team honors for the third straight year. He is receiving MIAA Most Valuable Player honors for the first time. Vegter is the second member of his family to be named an MIAA MVP in men's soccer as his older brother Travis Vegter was named the MIAA's MVP in 2013 and 2014.
A central defender, Vegter was a two-time MIAA Defensive Player of the Week this fall. He scored four goals and tallied eight assists in league play this fall, ranking second in the MIAA in assists.
NATE VAN RYN
A native of Grandville and a graduate of Grandville Calvin Christian High School, Van Ryn is receiving All-MIAA first team honors for the second straight year as a goalkeeper. Van Ryn was 13-0-1 in league play this year while posting 10 shutout victories. In conference play he led the MIAA in shutouts and goals-against-average (0.28).
MATT HINDS
A native of Frankenmuth and a graduate of Frankenmuth High School, Hinds is also receiving All-MIAA first team honors for the second straight year. A left back on defense, Hinds has been instrumental in Calvin posting a 0.28 goals-against-average in league play along with 10 shutouts. He has also been a threat on offense, as he tallied an MIAA-leading nine assists along with two goals for 13 points.
FRANCISCO NOYOLA
Noyola hails from East Lansing. He is a graduate of Lansing Christian High School. Noyola is making his first appearance on the All-MIAA first team. A centerback, Noyola played a pivotal role in helping Calvin post 10 shutout victories and a team goals-against-average of 0.28 in league play. He also scored three goals in league play.
BOBBY MCCAW
McCaw is from Dubuque, Iowa. He is a graduate of Hempstead High school. A target striker, McCaw is making his first appearace on the All-MIAA first team. McCaw led the MIAA in goals (16) and points (35) in conference play. During the season he has been named a three-time MIAA Offensive Player of the Week. Of his 16 goals scored in conference play this fall, four were game-winners.
JACOB WITTE
A native of Grand Rapids and a graduate of Grand Rapids Christian, Witte is making his second straight appearance on the All-MIAA first team. An outside winger, Witte has received MIAA Offensive Player of the Week honors once this fall. Witte tallied four goals, seven assists and 15 points in conference games this year. In conference games he ranked third in the MIAA in assists and fifth in goals.
JACOB LYON
A native of Holt and a graduate of Lansing Christian High School, Lyon is receiving All-MIAA first team honors for the first time. A midfielder, Lyon has been a strong two-way player for the Knights this fall. In conference play, he scored three goals this fall.
HUNTER OLSON
Olson is from Canton, Michigan. He is also a graduate of Canton (Mich.) High School. An attacking midfielder, Olson received MIAA Offensive Player of the Week honors once this fall. He is receiving All-MIAA first team honors for the first time in his career. In league play, he tallied 11 goals, five assists and 27 points. He ranked second in the MIAA in both goals and points.
MITCH STARK
A native of South Lyon and a graduate of South Lyon High School, Stark had a goal and three assists in league play this year. A midfielder, Stark scored his lone goal in a 6-1 win over Trine on October 7 and proved to be the game-winner. He is currently tied for third place on the Calvin career list for assists with 35.
DILLON WELDY
A midfielder from Grand Rapids, Weldy is receiving All-MIAA second team honors for the first time. A graduate of Grand Rapids Christian High School, Weldy has been a strong two-way player for the Knights, Weldy compiled two goals, four assists and eight points in league games this year.
Received on Wed Nov 1 23:58:08 2017
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