GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. - The No. 3 Calvin men's soccer team rolled to a 4-0 shutout victory over the visiting Olivet Comets Tuesday afternoon at Calvin's Zuidema Field.

The Knights scored in the eighth minute of play to take control early and then exploded in the second half for three goals to claim their 11th shutout of the season.

Senior Taylor Pruis (Grand Rapids/Grand Rapids Christian HS) put the Knights on the board just 7:16 into the match, tapping in a shot into a wide-open net after well-placed crossing pass on the ground by senior Jon Fillippini (Holland/Holland Christian HS).

Calvin nearly scored again minutes later on a header by senior Nick Groenewold (Oak Brook, IL/Timothy Christian HS) that bounced off the near post and out of harm's way.

Calvin outshot the Comets 13-4 but could not find the back of the net again the first half. The Knights then picked up the tempo a notch in the second half and found the back of the net just a minute-and-a-half into the second half as junior Stephan Hooker (Hudsonville/Unity Christian HS) collected a loose ball and rocketed a shot from 30 yards out into the net to put the Knights up 2-0.

In the 58th minute, Groenewold was pulled down in the Olivet box and was awarded a penalty kick. Groenewold made no mistake on the spot kick, ripping a shot past the Olivet keeper to give the Knights a 3-0 advantage.

Sophomore Mitch Stark (South Lyon/South Lyon HS) completed the scoring for the Knights in the 66th minute with a clinical finish, rolling a left-footed shot just past the outstretched arms of the Olivet keeper and just inside the far post for his third goal of the season.

"I think we had a much better second half," said Calvin men's soccer coach Ryan Souders. "I don't think we had a very good first half. Olivet always comes out with a lot of energy and can be a tough team to play against. In the second half we came out with more resiliency, moved the ball around well and dictated the style of play."

Calvin now has nine different players with three goals or more this season. "Guys have stepped into different places and different facets in the final third (of the field," said Souders. "They've done a nice job of collectively finding the net."

Senior goalkeeper Niko Giantsopoulos (Markham, Ont./St. Augustine Catholic HS) posted three saves in collecting the shutout victory. Giantsopoulos is currently ranked fourth nationally in goals-against-average (0.275).

Calvin remains six points clear of second place Kalamazoo with three regular season league games left to play. The Knights will journey to Adrian on Saturday night for a 7 p.m. match at Docking Stadium.