Box Score OLIVET – The sixth-ranked Calvin men's soccer team moved into sole possession of first place in the MIAA standings with a 2-1 victory at Olivet Saturday afternoon. The Knights are now 8-0-1 overall and 4-0-0 in the MIAA, three points clear of second place Adrian, Alma and Kalamazoo.
The Knights outshot Olivet by a commanding 21-3 shots at goal margin but the host Comets kept within striking distance.
Calvin took a 1-0 lead on a goal by junior Isky VanDoorne (Calgary AB/Western Canada HS) in the 24th minute of play as he scored off a feed from senior Taylor Pruis (Grand Rapids/Grand Rapids Christian HS).
Calvin pelted the Olivet goal with shots in the opening minutes of the second half and finally broke through for a second goal in the 76th minute with freshman Bobby McCaw (Dubuque, IA/) scoring his fourth goal of the season on the play. The goal was assisted by freshman Jacob Witte (Grand Rapids/Grand Rapids Christian HS).
Just over two minutes later however, Olivet countered with a goal of its own as Gregory Petty scored his third goal of the season.
Olivet (1-9 overall, 0-4-0 MIAA) went without a shot the rest of the game however as the Knights sealed the win.
Senior Niko Giantsopoulos (Markham, Ont./St. Augustine Catholic HS) picked up the win in goal for the Knights.
"I was proud of our team's resolve today," said Calvin men's soccer coach Ryan Souders. "Olivet is a very difficult place to play. There are no easy games in the MIAA and today was proof of that. There are definitely some things we need to improve upon, but we're happy to leave with three more points in the standings."
Calvin returns to action next Wednesday when it hosts Adrian at Zuidema Field at 4 p.m.
