CALVIN KNIGHT SPORTS REPORT FOR JANUARY 14, 2018
Calvin Men's Soccer Trio Receives D3soccer.com All-America Honors / Vegter Repeats as D3soccer.com National Defender of the Year
MEN'S SOCCER
Senior Matt Hinds and juniors Jacob Witte and Trent Vegter have been named 2017 D3soccer.com All-Americans.
In addition, Vegter has been named the 2017 D3soccer.com National Defender of the Year. It marks the second straight year Vegter has received the award.
A native of Hudsonville and a graduate of Hudsonville Unity Christian High School, Vegter has also been named to the D3soccer.com All-America first team for the second straight year while Witte has been named to the second team and Hinds to the third team.
A three-year starter at centerback, Trent Vegter played a key role in helping the Calvin men's soccer team post 15 shutout victories this fall while allowing only 10 goals on the season. He also played an integral role in Calvin's offensive attack with his consistent long serves into the attacking third while also providing scoring punch himself. Vegter with four goals, 10 assists and 18 points. He scored the game-winning goal in a 1-0 win at Kalamazoo on October 21. During the season he was named a two-time MIAA Defensive Player of the Week. He was later named the MIAA's Most Valuable Player and landed a spot on the All-MIAA first team for the third straight year. Vegter was also named to the 2017 United Soccer Coaches Division III All-America first team.
A native of Grand Rapids and a graduate of Grand Rapids Christian High School, Witte is receiving D3soccer.com All-America honors for the first time. Last month, he was also named a 2017 CoSIDA Academic All-American.
Witte was a key part of a powerful Calvin offensive attack this fall, compiling 11 goals, 11 assists and 33 points. He has a pair of game-winning goals this fall, scoring in a 3-0 win over Lake Forest on September and also in a 5-0 win over Olivet October 25.
During his career he has scored big post-season goals as well. As a freshman in 2015, he scored the game-winner in the closing minutes of a 1-0 national quarterfinal win of the NCAA III Tournament at Kenyon. As a sophomore in 2016, he scored the game-winner in a 2-1 double-overtime upset at Messiah in a national semi-quarterfinal match of the NCAA III Tournament.
He was named MIAA Offensive Player of the Week once during the season and landed a spot on the All-MIAA first team for the second straight year.
Witte has 24 goals, 21 assists and 69 points in his Calvin career.
Hinds is also receiving D3soccer.com All-America honors for the first time. Hinds is from Frankenmuth and is a graduate of Frankenmuth High School.
A left back on defense, Hinds played a key role in helping Calvin post 15 shutouts this season and an overall team goals-against-average of 0.43. On offense, Hinds was the primary striker of free kicks and also contributed to several of Calvin's corner kick tries. Hinds proved to be a valuable offensive asset, registering five goals and a team-leading 13 assists. His assist total matched the fifth-highest single-season total in Calvin men's soccer history. Hinds scored three game-winning goals during the season including the game-winner in a 2-0 victory over John Carroll University in the second round of the 2017 NCAA III Tournament. Hinds was named to the 2017 All-MIAA first team. He was named MIAA Defensive Player of the Week once.
"I'm extremely proud to see Matt, Jacob and Trent be recognized by D3soccer.com. It is a great honor for them and for our program," said Calvin men's soccer coach Ryan Souders. "They have all worked hard in contributing to our team's success. Most of all, this collection of awards is a strong reflection on our team as a whole. Every member of our team works together and each member of our team shares in these awards."
Calvin recently completed another standout season, winning its 11th consecutive MIAA regular season title as well as its fourth straight MIAA Tournament crown. The Knights finished 21-1-1 overall, reaching the Round of 16 of the NCAA III Tournament for the third consecutive year while also hitting the 20-win plateau for the third consecutive season.
2017 D3soccer.com All-America Teams: http://d3soccer.com/awards/all-america/2017/2017-Mens-AA
Received on Sun Jan 14 22:46:04 2018
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