HOLLAND, Mich. – Calvin claimed a 2-1 rivalry win at Hope Tuesday night in the MIAA Tournament semifinals.

The victory sends Calvin into the MIAA Tournament Championship final Saturday night at top-seeded Trine University.  Trine advanced to Saturday's final by way of a penalty kick shootout win against Albion in Tuesday's other semifinal match.

The Knights received a first half penalty kick goal from senior Alex White (Lake Bluff, Il./Lake Forest Academy) and a late-game winner from freshman Colin Nieuwenhuis (Hudsonville, Mich./Unity Christian HS) to gain the win.

Calvin dominated possession in the first half and finally broke through in the 25^th minute when White was clipped in the box after beating a defender to the ball. White stepped up on the spot kick and drilled a low hard shot into the back of the net for his 16^th goal of the 2024 season.

Hope pushed back and received a penalty kick of its own just five minutes later as an attacker was upended racing through the right side of the 18-yard box. Hope's Seth Walters converted the penalty kick and the match remained level at 1-1 heading into halftime.

The second half turned into a battle for possession as both sides fought through steady rain and strong wind gusts.

Calvin began to press the attack inside the final 20 minutes of regulation and finally broke through with just 12:26 left on the clock as Nieuwenhuis received a pass from the right wing, dribbled, spun and cranked a left-footed shot that skimmed off the wet turf, just inside the far post for the go-ahead score.

Hope pressed for the equalizer in the closing minutes as a series of free kicks and corner kicks were gained by the Flying Dutchmen. Calvin's back line was up to the task, clearing balls out of its own end time after time to stymie the comeback bid by Hope.

Calvin (13-5-2) held a 16-9 shots at goal advantage including a 10-4 advantage in the second half. Senior Kaelen Matascastillo (New Kensington, Pa./Minnesota Virtual Academy) went the first half in goal for the Knights and had one save. Senior Zac Moore (Pilesgrove, NJ/Woodstown HS) went the second half and also had one save for the Knights.

COACHES COMMENT: "That's a big win. A gritty win," said Calvin head men's soccer coach Ryan Souders. "It's been kind of a roller-coaster kind of a season for our guys. We've struggled at times on the road but tonight, to our credit, our guys fought through 90 minutes against a nationally-ranked opponent in tough weather and found a way to get a win. We stressed to the guys to be patient and to wait for moments of opportunity. We probably could have had a few goals early and they didn't come. Then we got the penalty kick. At halftime we told the guys to just keep going and they did."

NEXT UP: Calvin will travel to Trine University for a 7 p.m. contest in Angola, Indiana. Calvin will be making its fourth straight appearance in the MIAA Tournament Championship game.