DELAWARE, Oh. - For the sixth time in school history, the Calvin men's soccer team is headed to the sectional round of the NCAA III Tournament. Calvin advanced to the sectional round with a 2-1 come-from-behind victory at long-time NCAA III Tournament nemesis Ohio Wesleyan Saturday evening at the Jay Martin Soccer Complex.

In 2011, Ohio Wesleyan defeated Calvin 2-1 in the NCAA III Tournament finals and a year ago, the Battling Bishops bounced the Knights out of the second round of the national tournament by way of a penalty kick shootout.

On Saturday, Ohio Wesleyan (16-5-2) took the early momentum with a goal off a free kick just 8:28 into the match. Ohio Wesleyan's Kyle Baum scored for the Battling Bishops, redirecting a free kick served by teammate Brian Schaefer past Calvin goalkeeper Niko Giantsopoulos (Markham, Ont./St. Augustine Catholic HS). The goal was just the fifth goal allowed by the Calvin defense this year.

Momentarily stunned, Calvin played back on its heels for the remainder of the first half as Ohio Wesleyan outshot Calvin 9-3 over the opening 45 minutes and hit the crossbar just a few minutes after taking a 1-0 lead.

Ranked No. 1 nationally, Calvin (22-0-1) regrouped at halftime and came out with energy in the second half, owning possession of the ball and making probing runs into the Ohio Wesleyan defensive end.

Calvin's pressure paid off in the 69th minute as junior Stephan Hooker (Hudsonville/Unity Christian HS) slipped a shot inside the far post after receiving a pass in the box from sophomore Mitch Stark (South Lyon/South Lyon HS).  The goal by Hooker was his 12th of the year.

Lightning then struck twice for the Knights as Stark sent in a corner kick just three minutes later that senior Taylor Pruis was able to head into the back of the net to give Calvin a 2-1 lead. The goal by Pruis was his ninth of the year.

Calvin then weathered some nervy moments down the stretch as the Battling Bishops pressed for the equalizer but were turned aside as the Knights claimed the thrilling win.

"I'm so incredibly proud of this group," said Calvin men's soccer coach Ryan Souders after the game. "Every single guy on this team contributed to this win. We have all the respect in the world for (Ohio Wesleyan coach) Jay Martin and his program. It is one of the best out there. To get a come-from-behind win on the road after a tough game last night is just huge. We did not play a good first at all tonight but to our credit, our guys were able to regroup and play much better soccer in the second half."

Ohio Wesleyan finished with a 13-12 shots at goal advantage but Calvin outshot the Battling Bishops 9-4 in the second half. Giantsopoulos had three saves in goal for the Knights.

Calvin advances to sectional round play next weekend where it will face the winner of a second round game between Gordon College and Franklin and Marshall.