Box Score By Gina de Haan
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – The Calvin men's soccer team clinched its 11th consecutive MIAA regular season title with a 6-0 victory over Alma College (2-10-3, 2-7-2 MIAA) on Tuesday night. The Knights' win streak is the longest in MIAA men's soccer history.
With the win, the Knights improve to 14-0-1 overall, boasting a 10-0-1 MIAA record and claim the top seed in the MIAA Tournament. Calvin is currently ranked No. 1 in the United States Coaches Division III Top 25 poll.
"Winning the league is something our guys should be proud of. We talk about earning things versus deserving things, and I thought we've gone out and earned it," said Calvin head men's soccer coach Ryan Souders. "To be able to win one is massive for this team, and this run over the years speaks incredibly to institutional value and success along with program excellence, which far predates me." In his six years at the helm of the Knights, Souders has led Calvin to six straight league titles. At Calvin, he has an overall record of 109-15-7.
In the 2017 MIAA preseason coaches' poll, Calvin was picked to repeat as league champions, while Alma was picked to finish second. The Knights won the first meeting of the year between the two teams, claiming a 5-0 victory at Alma's Scotland Yard. The two teams met in the 2016 MIAA Tournament final with the Knights prevailing 4-2.
The Knights' dominated the match, scoring three goals in each half. Calvin's offense capitalized on three corner kick opportunities, and had two more scoring plays that materialized from corner kicks.
"We were really good in the final third under pressure to give us those set piece opportunities. We had a lot of good build up to create those," said Souders. "We talked about set pieces all week. Credit to our guys for being big, physical and hungry in the box – both offensively and defensively – to finish those chances tonight."
The Knights offense came out strong, as sophomore Jacob Lyon (Hold, Mich./Lansing Christian) scored in the second minute off a corner kick taken by senior Matt Hinds (Frankenmuth, Mich./Frankenmuth). Less than four minutes later, Hinds assisted another corner kick goal as Calvin leading-scorer sophomore Bobby McCaw (Dubuque, Iowa/Hempstead) headed in his 16th goal of the season. McCaw has earned MIAA Offensive Player of the Week honors three times this fall.
Senior Francisco Jay Noyola (East Lansing, Mich./Lansing Christian) widened the gap to three goals in the 22nd minute, heading in a loose ball in the box. Junior Jacob Witte (Grand Rapids, Mich./Grand Rapids Christian) and sophomore Dillon Weldy (Grand Rapids, Mich./Grand Rapids Christian) earned assists on Noyola's goal.
At the half, the Knights held a commanding 17-8 shots advantage, including nine shots on goal. Calvin had earned 12 corner kicks compared to Alma's three.
The Knights built on their lead early in the second half, as junior Trent Vegter (Hudsonville, Mich./Unity Christian) and Hunter Olson (Canton, Mich./Canton) both scored in the first ten minutes out of the break.
Vegter scored Calvin's fourth goal off a corner kick in the 45th minute, heading in a ball sent by Olson. Seven minutes later, Olson followed with a goal of his own, taking a pass in the box by Weldy and rocketing a shot past Alma's keeper.
Ian Adams (Grand Rapids, Mich./Grand Rapids Christian) netted the Knights' final goal in the 81st minute, netting a goal off the rebound of his own shot.
Calvin outshot the visiting Scots 38-8, logging 16 shots on goal. 23 Knights saw playing time in the victory.
Senior goalkeeper Nate VanRyn (Grandville, Mich./Calvin Christian) posted two saves on the evening for his ninth shutout of the season.
"We want to keep the same perspective," said Souders. "We have our goals and one of them was winning the conference. But in terms of who we are, how we play and what we want to achieve, there's more to go. We're excited with this now, but we're also excited to keep on with the season.
Calvin is back in action on Saturday when they travel to Kalamazoo. The Knights and Hornets will face off at 2:30 p.m. Looking ahead, Calvin will travel to Olivet next Wednesday and host Albion next Saturday. The Knights will host the first round of the MIAA Tournament on Wednesday, November 1.
