GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. - Today the Calvin women's soccer team celebrated senior day in style when it defeated the Belle's of Saint Mary's in a thrilling 4-0 match. With today's victory the Knights improved to an 8-1 overall record and 2-0 in MIAA conference play.
In the first half, the Knights dominated possession and put pressure on Belle's defense throughout the opening 45 minutes. Calvin earned nine corners and produced 20 shots with four different players notching a shot on goal.
The Knights best chance came in the 22nd minute when a shot from senior
Katherine Bergman (Farmington Hills, Mich./Farmington) was deflected to the feet of junior
Ellery Boeving (Howell, Mich./Howell). Boeving took a one timer and sent the ball towards the net before the Saint Mary's goalkeeper made a last second save and kept the danger at bay. Defensively, the Knights smothered any opportunity the Belles tried to create as they held them to zero shots and the teams headed into the second half deadlocked at 0-0.
Just five minutes into the second half the Knights pressure finally paid off when
Olivia Rawls (Geneva, Ill./Geneva) sent in arching ball over the Belle's defense and to the feet of a streaking
Bianca Juncaj (Farmington Hills, Mich./North Farmington). With the Saint Mary's goalkeeper charging forward the freshman attacker wasted no time getting a touch of the ball and sending it into the back of the net for the first goal of her career.
Now, with a bit more pep in their step, the Calvin offense found their spark as Rawls scored a goal of their own in the 65th minute off an assist from junior
Nora Kucinski (Portage, Mich./Portage Northern) to stretch the lead to 2-0.
With 15 minutes left in the match, sophomore
Lexi Glowicki (Rochester, Mich./Lutheran High North) made her presence known when she scored on a dagger from outside the eighteen-yard box thanks to an assist from senior
Lydia Jacobs (Saginaw, Mich./Nouvel Catholic).
Six minutes later the Knights rounded out their scoring when freshman
Ava Steen (Hudsonville, Mich./Unity Christian) found
Alexa Boersma (Caledonia, Mich./South Christian) who found the back of the net for Calvin's fourth and final goal of the afternoon.
The Knights finished the match out shooting the Belles 38-0 with fourteen of those shots being on goal. Calvin also earned a season high twenty-one corner kicks. On the other end of the field, junior
Aubree Lee (Lowell, Mich./Lowell) played all ninety minutes for Calvin.
After the match, the Knights took time to celebrate their seven seniors including Bergman, Jacobs,
Lindsay Hart (Midland, Mich./HH Dow),
Avery Mrozinski (Milford, Mich./Milford),
Peyton Pratt (Middleville, Mich./Thornapple Kellogg),
Emma Shaffer (Chicago, Ill./Loyola Academy), and
Mikaela Waroway (Ann Arbor, Mich./Father Gabriel Richard).
COACHES COMMENTS:" It was great to be back home today and be able to get another important MIAA result," said head coach
Emily Ottenhoff. "I thought we had a much sharper second half and it was great to see a few different people find the back of the net! A shoutout to our seniors, 4 years is hard at the college level and we appreciate their commitment to our program!"
UP NEXT: The Knights will be back in action on Monday, October 5th when they welcome Illinois Tech to Calvin Soccer Stadium for a 7PM matchup.
