GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. - Today the Calvin University women's soccer team welcomed the No. 6 Maroons of Chicago University to Zuidema Field where an explosive first half propelled the Knights to victory.

The win was Calvin's first over a top-10 ranked team since November 21, 2015, when the Knights defeated then No. 5 Carnegie Mellon 1-0 in the Round of 16 of the NCAA III Tournament. 
 
Right away the Knights put pressure on the Chicago defense as they kept the ball in their attacking end. In the sixth minute Calvin cashed in as a shot was deflected off a Maroon defender outside the eighteen yard box where junior Mia Judd (Grand Ledge, Mich./Lansing Christian) was waiting. She saw an opportunity and sent a one-timer screaming into the bottom left corner of the net to give Calvin the early lead.
 
Just minutes later junior Elie Farrell (Wheaton, Ill./Wheaton Warrenville South) found an open Mikaela Waroway (Ann Arbor, Mich./Father Gabriel Richard) outside of the eighteen. With defenders closing in, Waroway calming took one settling touch before sending the ball into the top left corner to extend the Knights lead. However, the Waroway and Farrell connection struck again in the eighteenth minute, when Farrell got in on the scoring off a Waroway assist to make the score 3-0.
 
In the second half the Maroons looked to bounce back as they scored a goal of their own in the fifty-fifth minute to make the score 3-1. However, the Knights locked in on defense and shut down any further attempts from Chicago to secure the 3-1 win.
 
Despite the Maroons outshooting the Knights 20-11, Calvin goalkeeper Kalex Dodge (Leslie, Mich./Leslie) came up big as she recorded six saves during the victory.
 
COACHES COMMENTS: "Really pleased with the effort our team put in today against a great Chicago team," said head coach Emily Ottenhoff. "They executed our game plan well, were efficient in the attack and then dug deep to defend late. Also, credit to our bench for keeping energy high for our team on a hot day. We'll need to get back to work on Monday as we prepare for another top team in the country."
 
UP NEXT: The Knights will be back in action on September 20th when they welcome the University of Wisconsin La-Crosse to Zuidema Field. Kickoff is set for 6 PM.