With momentum on its side, Calvin appeared poised to strike for a come-from-behind win in the closing minutes of its conference match with Albion. But in an instant, the visiting Britons turned the tables and came away with a dramatic 3-1 victory.
Albion senior David Knox provided the late dramatics for the Britons, scoring a pair goals in the final eight minutes of regulation. The first goal from Knox came with 7:39 left in regulation as the senior striker collected a loose ball deep in the Calvin zone, moved from right to left and ripped a 25-yard strike that deflected off a Calvin defender and over the grasp of Calvin goalkeeper Matt Gardner (Worthington, OH). With Calvin pressing forward, Knox then took a lead pass in the final minute of play and got loose for a breakaway up the left wing, sliding a shot just inside the near post with 26 seconds remaining.
Albion (4-3-1 overall, 2-0-0 MIAA) took a 1-0 lead on a goal by senior Bryan Hayes in the 23rd minute of play but Calvin (3-4-1 overall, 1-1-0 MIAA) came back to tie the game on a free kick from 30-yards out by junior Jared Litty (Hudsonville HS) with 16:48 left in regulation.
Calvin then began to mount another offensive attack and nearly scored on a header by senior Maurice Wright (Wauwatosa, WI) with 8:37 left on the clock. Moments later however, Albion came back with a quick counterattack with Knox capitalizing on the play to put the Britons up 2-1.
Wright had a stellar effort for Calvin in defeat, ripping off four shots at goal while also playing solid defense from his stopper-back position.
Calvin finished with a slim 12-9 shots at goal advantage. Gardner finished with three saves for the Knights while Dan Putman had five saves for the Britons.
Calvin returns to action on Tuesday when it hosts Tri-State at 4:00 p.m. in a conference match.