Box Score By Mark DeHaan
The Calvin women's soccer team hosted the Comets of Olivet College on Saturday for its final home game of the season. The Knights defeated the Comets 5-0 earlier this season.
For the second time this season, Calvin saw an offensive outburst against Olivet, this time with seven goals scored as the Knights downed the Comets 7-3. The Knights also took part in Breast Cancer Awareness Month, albeit a day late, as the team donned pink jerseys to raise awareness. The men's soccer team did likewise later in the day.
Sophomore Carly Veenstra (North Haledon, NJ/Eastern Christian HS) got the Knights on track in the 14th minute. The Olivet keeper misplayed a pass back, and Veenstra stole the ball and put it into the back of the net for a 1-0 lead.
Veenstra added another goal just four minutes later. Slipping behind the Comets defense, Veenstra beat the keeper one-on-one to score her second of the game for a 2-0 Knights advantage.
In the 20th minute, junior Paige Capel (Hudsonville/Calvin Christian HS) expanded Calvin's lead to 3-0. Receiving the ball off a throw-in from junior Sydney Kinney (Ada/Grand Rapids Christian HS), Capel took a left-footed shot from the top of the goal that dropped in off the crossbar.
Despite the three-goal disadvantage, the Comets got right back into the ball game.
Goals in the 29th and 45th minutes from Olivet drew the Comets to within one at 3-2 before the half.
The Knights held a 9-6 shots advantage in the first half.
Out of the break, Calvin regained the multi-goal advantage with three scores in the opening ten minutes of the second half.
Less than a minute in, sophomore Kailey Jo chipped a ball into the box for Christina Drost (Denver, CO/Denver Christian HS) who finished for a Calvin goal.
In the 49th minute, junior Taylor TenHarmsel (Holland/Holland Christian HS) got on the score-sheet, calmly scoring off a pass from Capel to give the Knights 5-2 advantage.
Freshman Camie Rietberg (Wyoming/Calvin Christian HS) also added a goal in the 54th minute of play. Capel then added one more goal for Calvin, while Olivet tallied another, as the score fell at a 7-3 final.
The Knights outshot the Comets 27-10. Sophomore Emily Lawson (Westminster, CO/Pinnacle Charter HS) and freshman Jenna Shelton (Bloomfield Hills/Troy Intersect HS) combined for three saves in goal.
"We've been kind of waiting for the combination play you saw in the second half," said head coach Mark Recker. "We want to finish off the season well. I want us to be driven to play the best game that we can and close out the season on a positive note. I'm hoping the lessons that we continue to teach will be played out against Hope."
Calvin improves to 6-7-2 in league play and 7-9-2 overall with the win, while Olivet falls to 3-11-1 in conference and 6-11-2 with the loss.
The Knights now look forward to Monday when they wrap up their season at Hope College in Holland. The season finale versus the Flying Dutch is set to kickoff at 6 p.m.
