GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – The No. 23 Calvin men's soccer team gained a 4-0 non-conference victory over Alma at Calvin Soccer Stadium Wednesday night.
Calvin scored a pair of goals in each half, dominating the match throughout to improve to 6-1-0 on the season heading into a Saturday homecoming contest against DePauw University. The Knights have won six straight games since dropping their season opener to Milwaukee School of Engineering.
Calvin jumped on the scoreboard early as sophomore
Jake Ziolo (Dublin, Oh./ Dublin Jerome) took a through-ball pass from junior
Matt Torrell (Rochester, N.Y./The Charles Finney School) and slipped a shot into a wide-open nt for a 1-0 lead just 2:20 into the match. The play began with Torrell pouncing on an Alma turnover in the defensive zone.
The Knights added a second goal in the closing seconds of the first half. Freshman
Will Lanham (Commerce Township, Mich./Notre Dame Prep) was able to slip a shot near the six-yard box past the keeper after receiving a pass from Ziolo. The Lanham goal came with just seven seconds left in the first half.
Junior
Atsoma Agbu (Torrell, Tx./ Klein Cain) put the Knights up 3-0 in the 55
th minute as sophomore
James Jackson whipped a pass to the top of the 18-yard box. Agbu collected the pass, turned a fired a low-hard shot inside the far post for his first goal of the season and the third of his career.
Lanham was then tripped up in the Alma penalty box in the 63
rd minute to draw a penalty kick. Lanham took the spot kick and made no mistake, whipping in his second goal of the game and third of the season.
Calvin finished the game with a 26-9 shots at goal advantage. Senior
Zac Moore (Pilesgrove, NJ/ Woodstown) went the first 68 minutes for the Knights with sophomore
John Hargett (Powell, Ohio/Olentangy) playing the final 22 as the Calvin duo combined on the shutout in goal.
COACHES COMMENT: "Good result in front of an always incredible Knight Nation crowd," said Calvin head men's soccer coach
Ryan Souders. "Great to see a couple tallies on the score sheet. Big game on Saturday for all of (Calvin's) programs. Come on out and support the Knights this Calvin Homecoming weekend!"
NEXT UP: Calvin returns to action on Saturday when it hosts DePauw University at 2:30 p.m. at Calvin Soccer Stadium in front of a Calvin Homecoming Crowd. The contest will be part of three home contests at the facility on Saturday with the Calvin women's team hosting Ohio Northern at noon followed by the men's game against DePauw. The Calvin football team will host Kalamazoo at 7 p.m. to complete the triple-feature.
