HOLLAND, Mich. - Today the Calvin women's lacrosse team opened up MIAA play when they traveled to Hope where they fell to the Dutch 8-18.

After today's match Calvin moved to 3-7 overall and 0-1 in MIAA while Hope improved to 6-4 and 2-0 in MIAA.

Hope came out strong as they started the game with four quick goals before Calvin was able to get on the board when Alex Petrusha (Milford, Mich./Milford) found Jacey Smith (Watertown, Wis./Watertown) to make the score 4-1. The Dutch kept their foot on the gas and despite back-to-back goals from Meghan Chang (Clarksburg, Md./Clarksburg) and a goal from Anneliese Hanson (Naperville, Ill./Naperville) Hope held a 12-4 lead heading into halftime.

In the second half Hope outshot Calvin 13-9 as the Dutch continued to put relentless pressure in the Knights defense. Morgan Bethard (DeWitt, Mich./DeWitt), Ainsley Gothard (Clarkston, Mich./Clarkston), Kelly Ruha (New Hope, Minn./Robbinsville Armstrong) and Smith all scored in the second half but the deficit proved to be too great as Hope went on to claim the 18-8 victory.

Calvin picked up 11 ground balls compared to Hope's 12 while Natalie Scott (Dyer, Ind./Illiana Christian) led the Knights with three ground balls. In goal, Margee Boelema (Hudsonville, Mich./Unity) recorded 13 saves.

COACHES COMMENT: "We played a smart and aggressive today against a very talented Hope squad," said head coach Blake Boehm. "They got the better of us at the circle draw and on 50/50 balls leading to an overwhelming amount of possession time in their favor. Despite the loss, we have a lot to be proud of. I thought our offense made the best of their opportunities and our defense held strong. We have a clear understanding of where we need to improve moving forward."

UP NEXT: The Knights will be back in action on Wednesday, April 10th when they welcome the Hornets of Kalamazoo for a MIAA conference matchup. The game is set to begin at 7 p.m.