By Mark DeHaan

ANGOLA, IN - The seventh-ranked Calvin men's soccer team traveled to Trine on Saturday for a weekend MIAA matchup. For the 12th time this season and 10th time in conference play, the Knights held their opponent without a goal, and Calvin defeated the Thunder 3-0.

Senior Travis Vegter opened up the scoring in the 22nd minute, finding the back of the net off a pass from freshman Mitch Stark (South Lyon/South Lyon HS) . It was Vegter's 20th goal of the season and the 64th of his career.

The Knights doubled their lead before halftime. Continuing his strong sophomore campaign, Stephan Hooker (Hudsonville/Unity Christian HS) netted his 9th goal of the year, taking a pass from junior Sam Hanover (Saint Johns/Saint Johns HS) in the 34th minute and beating the Trine keeper for a 2-0 Knights lead, which they took into halftime.

Calvin outshot the Thunder 10-0 in the opening half, also holding a 3-2 advantage in corner kicks.

Out of the break, Trine saw its best opportunity to score in the 75th minute. Forward Brec Musselman had an opportunity on goal, but junior keeper Niko Giantsopoulos (Markham, ON/St. Augustine Catholic HS) was up to the task and made the save.

Calvin's final goal came midway through the second half. Off a corner kick, senior Reed Bowden (Uxbridge, MA/Whitinsville Christian HS) pass to senior Sean Broekhuizen (Grand Rapids/South Christian HS) who found the goal on a bullet from 30 yards out.

The Knights outshot the Thunder 26-2 for the game. Giantsopoulos made a single save in net for Calvin to earn the shutout. The 3-0 victory is the 8th time this season the Knights have held their opponent scoreless while scoring three or more goals themselves.

Calvin improves to 15-2 with the win and 12-0 overall, while Trine falls to 5-12-1 overall and 2-10 in league play.

"We had a solid team performance," said Calvin men's soccer coach Ryan Souders. "Trine was looking to pack it in on defense and we remained patient and moved the ball around. We have to focus on one opponent at a time and for the most part, our focus today was good."

The Knights now look forward to Wednesday when they host the Britons of Albion for a 4:00 p.m. contest.