Calvin men's soccer hosted the Thunder of Trine on Saturday afternoon. Despite an early goal from the Thunder, Calvin recovered to score six goals in the contest, three in the second half, as it defeated Trine 6-2. 

The Knights and Thunder entered the weekend contest at opposite ends of the conference standings, with Calvin atop the MIAA at 6-2-0 and Trine last at 0-8-0. 

Despite the difference in league position, Trine came out on fire and jumped on the Knights early. Under four minutes into the game, Mac Green slipped a shot past Calvin junior keeper Andrew Claucherty to give the Thunder a 1-0 lead. 

Calvin responded 25 seconds later as a Knights attacker was taken down at the top of the Trine box. Calvin was awarded a penalty kick and junior Travis Vegter stepped up and put the ball into the back of the net, tying the match at 1-1. 

In the 13th minute, the Knights took their first lead of the game as freshman Stephan Hooker beat the Trine keeper for a goal and a 2-1 Calvin advantage. 

Vegter added his second goal of the game in the 22nd minute. Senior Zach Willis made a great run down the left flank, beating his defender and dribbling down onto the end line. Willis then crossed the ball into the middle where Vegter was waiting, flicking the ball into the net for a 3-1 Calvin lead and his 18th goal on the year. 

The wild first half was not over, however, as Trine responded with a goal of its own. Kenny Rappuhn collected the ball for the Thunder about 40 yards out of Calvin's net. Seeing the Knight keeper off his line, Rappuch sent a chip in on net that beat Calvin's goalie top shelf to cut the Knights lead to 3-2, where the score would be at half. 

Trine held a 5-4 shots advantage in the first half. Neither team saw a corner kick opportunity in the opening period. 

In the second half, Willis and sophomore Taylor Pruis connected for a pair of goals. 

In the 56th minute, Pruis fed Willis in the middle of the field for a tap in goal. Minutes later, it was Willis returning the favor as he hit a streaking Pruis in the box for a goal. The two goals gave the Knights a 5-2 lead. 

Calvin's final goal came in the 74th minute. Freshman Matthew Koster sent a cross to the top of the box which was hit first time by freshman Lance Van Tine as it came down to the turf. Van Tine's shot beat the Trine keeper to the bottom corner of the net for the freshman's first collegiate goal and the 6-2 Knights advantage. 

Calvin outshot the Thunder 15-7 in the contest. Claucherty made one save in net while earning the win. 

"No team is going to come in and lay down, and Trine is no different," said head coach Ryan Souders. 
"I thought we attacked well in the first half, we didn't defend well in the first half, but we really remedied that in the second. Our guys came out of halftime, did what we've committed to and we increased the lead - I think this is a good win to get us back moving in the direction we want to go." 

Calvin stays in first place in the MIAA with the win, moving to 7-2-0 in conference and 8-5-0 overall. Trine falls to 2-11-1 overall and 0-9-0 in league play. 

The Knights return to action on Wednesday when they host the Bulldogs of Adrian for a 4:00 p.m. contest.