Box Score GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – The Calvin women's soccer team rallied to defeat Olivet on Tuesday, 3-1. The win is the ninth-straight victory for the Knights. Calvin improves to 9-2 on the year and 6-0 in the MIAA. The win pulls the Knights in a tie for first place with Hope.
"Today was a measure of the degree of mental toughness for us," said head coach Mark Recker. "So when we came back prior to halftime and got the equalizer, I think that was a huge elevation of our mood."
Olivet struck first on Tuesday afternoon at Zuidema Field. Isabella Lyon picked up her fifth goal of the year for Olivet in the 22nd minute. Lyon snuck the ball in the back of the net off of a breakaway.
Junior Brianna Russell (Plainwell, Mich./Delton-Kellogg HS) leveled the match 15 minutes later in the 37th minute. Russell tapped it past Olivet's Deanna Zolnoski who went to challenge Russell but saw the ball pass her on the right side to the back of the net.
Sophomore Emily VanVeldhuisen (Brookeville, Md./Washington Christian Academy) broke the tie in the 72nd minute. Off of a corner play from senior Sydney Kinney (Ada, Mich./Grand Rapids Christian HS), VanVeldhuisen headed the ball past the Olivet keeper into the bottom left corner of the net. Calvin forced eight corners on Tuesday.
Brianna Russell helped the Knights get on the board again in the 86th minute, Russell drew a foul by getting taken down in the box. Senior Taylor Ten Harmsel (Holland Mich./Holland Christian HS) put the match away on the penalty kick. Ten Harmsel picked up her fifth goal of the year with the ball flying into the lower right corner of the goal, past the diving Olivet goaltender.
Senior Holly Ellerbroek (Holland, Mich./Holland Christian HS) tallied two saves on the afternoon. Ellerbroek and the Knights have held opponents to one goal or less in nine of the 11 matches this season.
Calvin outshot Olivet on Tuesday afternoon, 19-5.
The Tuesday victory marked the first time this season that the Knights were able to comeback from a deficit. The nine match win streak is also the longest streak for Calvin since 2008 when the Knights won 14 matches in a row.
The Knights return to action on Saturday as they host the No. 16 Flying Dutch of Hope College for the sole possession of first place in the MIAA. The action is slated to begin after the men's soccer match at 2:30 p.m. at Zuidema Field. The match Saturday will be a part of Knight of Nets Weekend that raises money to fight Malaria.
