GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. - Today the Calvin men's lacrosse team welcomed the Vikings of Augustana for a non-conference showdown. Fresh off their first win of the season last weekend the Knights kept the momentum rolling with a dominant 15-2 victory.
After today's game Calvin improved to a 2-1 record while Augustana, who opened up their season today, fell to 0-1.
As the game got underway Augustana struck first with a goal four minutes into play. However, just three minutes later Christian Coler (Ionia, N.Y./Honeyoye Falls-Lima) picked up his first goal of the day off an assist from junior Thomas Smith (Grosse Pointe Farms, Mich./Groose Pointe South). Later in the first quarter Smith scored back to back goals of his own to give the Knights a 3-1 lead.
The Knights dominated the second quarter as they outshot the Vikings 15-5 and picked up 13 ground balls. Joshua Moyer (Allentown, Pa./Allentown Central Catholic) netted the first goal of the period before Cole McKenney (Mission Viejo, Calif./Trabuco Hills) and David Blackmon (Wheaton, Ill./Wheaton North) each scored two goals apiece to extend the Knights lead to 8-1 heading into halftime.
In the third period, freshman Jordan Warners (Orange, Calif./Crean Lutheran) got in on the scoring when he netted the first goal of the half two minutes into play. Augustana followed that up with a goal of their own before Moyer responded with his second goal of the game, a behind the back shot sent flying past the Vikings defenses.
From that point forward, it was all Calvin as the Knights went on to score five unanswered goals and walked away with the commanding 15-2 victory. Calvin outshot the Vikings 44-33 while forcing Augustana to make 34 turnovers in the match. The Knights picked up 47 ground balls compared to the Vikings 30 and converted on 2-3 of their extra man opportunities.
Brandon Eenigenburg (Norton Shores, Mich./Western Michigan Christian) handled a majority of the faceoffs for Calvin as he went 6-7 while in goal senior Corgan Schaumburg (Rockton, Ill./Hononegah) recorded eight saves.
Smith led the attack for the Knights by recording a hat trick and having an assist. Blackmon, McKenney, Coler, and Moyer all had two goals while Warners, Nick Griffith (Geneva, Fla./Oviedo), Jacob Bledsoe (Mission Viejo, Calif./J. Serra Catholic), and Titus Holleman (Grand Rapids, Mich./South Christian) all recorded one goal. Coler led the team in assists with four while Warners was close behind with three.
COACHES COMMENT: "Another great team win today," said head coach Dave Hoger. "It was great to see our guys perform and execute at a high level. We are excited to get back to work on Tuesday to prepare for a great test in Dubuque."
UP NEXT: The Knights will be back in action on Tuesday, February 27th when they welcome Dubuque to campus for a 4 p.m. matchup.
