GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. - Today the Calvin men's lacrosse team put on a dominant performance as it cruised to a 14-4 victory over the Scots of Alma. The Knights moved to an overall record of 11-4 with an MIAA record of 4-1 while Alma moved to 1-10 overall and 4-1 in the MIAA. Today's win also marked a new Calvin men's lacrosse program record for most wins in a season.
The Knights got out to a hot start and led 9-0 after just one quarter of play where they out shot the Scots 18-3. Christian Coler (Ionia, N.Y./Honeyoye Falls-Lima) notched an early hat-trick while Jacob Bledsoe (Mission Viejo, Calif./J. Serra Catholic), Joshua Moyer (Allentown, Pa./Allentown Central Catholic), Thomas Smith (Grosse Pointe Farms, Mich./Grosse Pointe South) and Cole McKenney (Mission Viejo, Calif./Trabuco Hills) also chipped in during the first quarter scoring spree.
Calvin carried its momentum into the second quarter when Smith scored just seconds into the period off an assist from Bledsoe. Two minutes later, Ethan Boelens (Round, Ill./Grayslake Central) sent the ball flying past the Scots' goalkeeper to increase the Calvin lead. The Knights closed out the half with back-to-back goals from Bledsoe, one coming off an assist from Nick Griffith (Geneva, Fla./Oviedo), to give themselves a commanding 13-0 lead at halftime.
Looking to bounce back, Alma scored the first goal of the half but Calvin responded quickly when Smith found Moyer who sent the ball into the back of the net to boost the lead. The Scots found small holes in the Knights' defense as they scored one more goal in the third quarter and two in the fourth but the deficit would prove to be too great as Calvin would go on to claim the 14-4 win.
Bledsoe led the way for the Knights with four goals while Coler and Smith each had three goals. McKenney finished with a team high four assists while also being credited with two caused turnovers. Nate Hanson (Naperville, Ill./Naperville North) won eight face offs and scooped up a team high six ground balls.
In goal, five different Knights got an opportunity with Corgan Schaumburg (Rockton, Ill./Hononegah) starting while Tristan Windham (Parker, Colo./Lutheran), Alex Chiodi (Gambrills, Md./Arundel), Soren Thiemann (Plano, Tx./Plano Senior), and Carter Sherman (Ada, Mich./Lowell) all got minutes. Soren and Carter each had two saves while Shaumburg and Windham had one.
COACHES COMMENTS: "Tonight was a great team win," said head coach Dave Hoger. "Our guys did a fantastic job of executing early and it allowed everyone to get in the game which was great to see. I'm proud of the work our guys have put in to get to this point in the season. We are excited to get healthy this weekend and then get back to work for a huge game on Wednesday."
UP NEXT: The Knights will be back in action on April, 24th when they travel to take on the Britons of Albion at 7 p.m.
