Calvin University

HOLLAND, Mich. - Today the Calvin women's soccer team made the short trip to the shoreline to take on rival Hope College. Coming into today's match both teams were undefeated in MIAA conference play and looked to take sole control of first place. However, after a tension filled ninety minutes of play, neither team was able to find the back of the net and the match ended in a 0-0 tie.

The Knights are now 11-1-1 overall on the season and 4-0-1 in league play. Calvin and Hope are now tied for second place in the MIAA standings (13 points) with Kalamazoo (5-0-0) sitting atop the league table with 15 points. 
 
In the first half, the Knights outshot the Flying Dutch 8-4 with their best chance on goal coming in the 32nd minute when freshman attacker Bianca Juncaj (Farmington Hills, Mich./North Farmington) had a shot bounce off the post. Junior Vivian Nagelkirk (Hudsonville, Mich./Unity Christian), senior Mikaela Waroway (Ann Arbor, Mich./Father Gabriel Richard), and freshman Emily Kovar (Chicago, Ill./Mother McCauley) all recorded shots on goal during the first forty-five minutes.
 
On the defensive side of the ball, the Knights back line worked hard to run the Flying Dutch off the ball and keep goal scoring opportunities to a minimum as they only allowed two shots on goal throughout the first half.
 
As the second half got underway both teams continued to battle for possession and momentum. Hope took a more offensive approach as they threw bodies forward and put more pressure on the Calvin defense. Junior goalkeeper Aubree Lee (Lowell, Mich./Lowell) stayed busy as she recorded four second half saves to keep the Knights chances alive.
 
The Knights tried to get something going in the final seconds of the game when they found junior Olivia Rawls (Geneva, Ill./Geneva) deep in enemy territory. With defenders closing in, Rawls fired off a shot that harmlessly flew wide right and the game ended in a 0-0 tie.
 
Calvin outshot the Flying Dutch 9-8 while also generating five corner kicks throughout the match compared to Hope's one. Lee wrapped up the day with six saves and recorded her eighth consecutive clean sheet.
 
COACHES COMMENTS: "We'll take a point on the road today," said head coach Emily Ottenhoff. "Credit goes to Hope who took away a lot of space in our attacking half and forced us to try to break down their low block. We'll need to be more disciplined in our execution going forward to get a full 3 points in our upcoming match."
 
UP NEXT: The Knights will be back in action on Tuesday, October 20th when they play their final home game of the regular season against Kalamazoo College at 7 PM.