GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – A pair of early second half goals lifted the Calvin men's soccer team to a 3-0 victory over rival Hope in the MIAA Tournament Championship game on Saturday.

The MIAA Tournament crown is Calvin's first since 2019 and punches an automatic ticket to the NCAA III Tournament for the Knights.

The MIAA Tournament title is Calvin's eighth overall.

Playing on a wind-swept Zuidema Field late Saturday afternoon, Calvin and Hope went without a goal over the opening 45 minutes.

A hand ball by a Hope defender in the penalty box three minutes into the second half gave Calvin a penalty kick.

Junior Oliver Akintade (Lake Forest, Il./Lake Forest HS) stepped up and delivered, whipping in a low hard shot that beat Hope goalkeeper Keagan DeKuiper who followed Akintade's shot but was unable to keep up with the pace of the shot.

The Akintade goal was his second penalty kick goal of the MIAA Tournament and his 10^th goal of the season.

Just over a minute later, Calvin (16-2-2) was awarded a free kick along the left wing 30 yards from goal. Junior Kadin Shaban (Jenison, Mich./Unity Christian HS) lofted a perfectly placed serve into the wind on the far side of the box that senior Aguma Muhumuza (Baton Rouge, La./Dunham School) was able to head in a with a smashing finish for a 2-0 Calvin lead. The goal was the fourth of the year for Muhumuza and the assist the seventh of the season for Shaban.

Hope (7-5-6) began to press the attack as the second half waned and came close twice. A header by Hope's Ethan Jansen off a free kick slipped just over the bar. In the 85^th minute, Hope's Cole Pauley broke free in the box and cranked a shot from 10 yards out that was saved with a sprawling one-handed stop by Calvin senior goalkeeper Daniel Wunder (Grand Rapids, Mich./Grand Rapids Christian HS) to keep the shutout alive.

Calvin then broke through for the clinching goal in the 87^th minute as senior Christopher Schau (Grand Rapids, Mich./Grand Rapids Christian HS) sent senior Mason Smith (Flint, Mich./Powers Catholic HS) clean in on goal with a well-placed through ball. Smith made no mistake on the breakaway chance, slipping in a low shot past DeKuiper to give the Knights a 3-0 advantage. The goal was the third of the year for Smith.

Hope finished with a 15-10 shots at goal advantage but Wunder was able to make five saves to collect the clean sheet.

COACHES COMMENT: "Both teams had moments but I thought we were patient and waited for our opportunity," said Calvin head men's soccer coach Ryan Souders. "I thought the penalty (kick) was well-earned and Oliver delivered with a strike. The goal right after by Kadin and Aguma was beautiful. What a great serve and an equally great finish by Aguma. Hope kept coming at us though which we expected. Daniel Wunder made a big save at the end and had an outstanding day. The third goal by Chris and Mason was outstanding as well. We had so many people step up for us. I want to credit our backline on defense and freshman Evan Morrison who was huge for us in his first collegiate start. It was a complete team effort and a very satisfying win."

NEXT UP: Calvin will now wait for its NCAA III Tournament assignment with the national tournament pairings set to be announced on Monday at 1:30 p.m. on NCAA.com.