KALAMAZOO, Mich. - Today the Calvin women's soccer clinched a share of the MIAA regular season title and the top seed in the MIAA Tournament when the Knights defeated the Hornets of Kalamazoo 4-1. With today's win the Knights improve to 11-4 overall record while remaining undefeated in conference play.
 
Calvin didn't wait long to get the goal scoring started as it looked to take advantage of a corner kick just nine minutes into the game. Graduate student Liz Williams (Grand Rapids, Mich./Grand Rapids Christian) stepped up and delivered an arcing ball into the box where senior Mia Judd (Grand Ledge, Mich./Lansing Christian) was waiting to send a header past the Hornet goalkeeper and give Calvin the 1-0 lead.
 
However, the lead wouldn't last long as Kalamazoo netted a goal of its own a few minutes later to deadlock the score at 1-1. For the rest of the half both teams battled for momentum in the rainy, cold conditions and ultimately headed into halftime still tied. Calvin had dominated offensively as they out shot the Hornet 11-5 in the first half while senior goalkeeper Kalex Dodge (Leslie, Mich./Leslie) recorded two saves.
 
Finally, in the 50th minute, the Knights found a gap in the Hornets defense when senior CeCe McCarthy (Ypsilanti, Mich./Father Gabriel Richard) beat her defender down the right flank. She carried the ball towards the end line before sending a cross toward the six-yard box where a wide-open Williams fired a shot into the lower left-hand corner to give the lead back to Calvin. 
 
The Knights kept the pressure on when just four minutes later Williams scored her second goal of the evening off an assist from junior Peyton Pratt (Middleville, Mich./Thornapple Kellogg) to stretch the lead. 
 
Calvin put a cap on its night when sophomore Nora Kucinski (Portage, Mich./Portage Northern) dished out an assist on Judd's second goal of the match as the Knights went on to pick up the 4-1 victory. Calvin finished the night out shooting the Hornets 22-7 while Dodge finished with three saves.
 
Tonight also notched a milestone for Williams as she became the twelfth player in Calvin women's soccer program history to reach 100 career points.
 
COACHES COMMENTS: "This was a really big result for our group on the road against a tough Kalamazoo team," said head coach Emily Ottenhoff. "It was a chaotic first half, but we challenged our group to move the ball quickly and stay composed in the attacking third, and they responded well in the second half. We'll take advantage of the bye this weekend to rest up and prepare for another big game next week."
 
UP NEXT: The Knights will be back in action on Tuesday, October 28th when they welcome Adrian College to Zuidema Field for their regular season finale. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 PM.