GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. - Today the Calvin women's lacrosse team welcomed the Flying Dutch of Hope College for their final game of the 2024 season. With Hope sitting in first in MIAA standings and the Knights tied for second place, tonight's match up presented major implications on seeding for the MIAA Tournament which is set to begin this weekend.
 
In the first quarter it was the Flying Dutch that got off to a quick start as they scored three goals in the first two minutes to take an early lead. Looking to respond, the Knights got to work as Audrey Booher (Fishers, Ind./Heritage Christian) weaved through several Hope defenders to find the back of the net. Less than a minute later sophomore Ainsley Gothard (Clarkston, Mich./Clarkston) got in on the scoring action to bring Calvin within one.
 
Later in the quarter, junior Morgan Bethard (DeWitt, Mich./DeWitt) scored her first goal of the game, but the Flying Dutch remained in control as they netted four more goals and headed into the second quarter with a 7-3 lead.
 
In the second quarter, Calvin came out with a vengeance as Bethard scored her second goal followed by a goal from Jacey Smith (Watertown, Wis./Watertown) off an assist from senior Meghan Chang (Clarksburg, Md./Clarksburg). Freshman Delaney Johnson (Spring Lake, Mich./Spring Lake) gave Calvin a boost when she scored back-to-back goals to tie the score 7-7. 
 
However, from that point forward it was all Hope as they responded with three unanswered goals and the Knights headed into halftime trailing 7-10.
 
In the second half, the goal scoring frenzy continued as both teams continued to add to their totals. Unfortunately for Calvin, the Flying Dutch finished with the upper hand as they outscored the Knights 11-8 and Hope walked away with the 21-15 win.
 
Calvin finished the season with a 11-5 overall record while going 5-2 in the MIAA.
 
Bethard finished as the Knights leading scorer with five goals while Booher was close behind with four goals. Chang led the team with three forced turnovers while Smith picked up two ground balls. In goals, sophomore Hannah Rizzo (Waterville, Ohio/Anthony Wayne) recorded six saves.
 
UP NEXT: The Knights will be back in action on Saturday when they compete in the first round of the MIAA Tournament. The opponent and game time is yet to be determined.