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CALVIN SPORTS REPORT FOR NOVEMBER 22, 2009
NCAA III Men's Soccer Final Four Field Set – Calvin to Face Dominican University (IL); GR Sports Hall of Fame Classic Ticket Information; Calvin Weekend Hockey Recap
MEN'S SOCCER
The field for the NCAA III Final Four in men's soccer is set. Joining Calvin in the Final Four field will be defending national champion Messiah (PA), Williams (MA) and Dominican (IL).
Calvin (17-4-3) will face Dominican (19-1-3) with Messiah (22-1-0) facing Williams (17-2-2) in the other semifinal. The first semifinal game is scheduled for 6 p.m. (ET) with the second semifinal set for 8:30 p.m. (ET). Semifinal assignments for the two games have not yet been announced. The semifinal winners will be play in the championship game on Saturday, December 5 at 6 p.m. (EST)
All of the games will be played at Blossom Soccer Stadium in San Antonio, Texas. Trinity University (TX) will serve as the host school.
Dominican advanced to the Final Four with a 2-0 victory over Whitworth (WA) Sunday night in a sectional final. Messiah advanced to the semifinals with a 2-1 victory over Rochester (NY) on Sunday while Williams advanced by wining a penalty kick shootout over Christopher Newport (NC) 4-1 after the game finished in a 1-1 tie Sunday night.
For more information on the semifinals and finals, please visit the following sites:
http://www.sanantoniosports.org/soccer.htm
&
http://www.ncaa.com/sports/c-soccer/champpage/c-soccer-div3-index.html
MEN'S BASKETBALL
Calvin will play host to the Grand Rapids Sports Hall of Fame Men's Basketball Classic November 27 and 28 at the Van Noord Arena. In addition to Calvin, the field will include teams from Aquinas, Cornerstone and Hope.
Grand Rapids Hall of Fame Men's Basketball Tournament - Calvin's Van Noord Arena November 27 and 28
6pm and 8pm each evening Tickets on sale now at Calvin Box Office and online @ http://www.calvin.edu/boxoffice Tickets are General Admission $8 and $10
Nov. 27 Hope vs Aquinas - 6:00 p.m. Calvin vs Cornerstone - 8:00 p.m. 6:00 & 8:00 pm Saturday, Nov 28 Grand Rapids Sports Hall of Fame Tournament (at Calvin)
Nov. 28 Consolation at 6:00 p.m. Championship at 8:00 p.m. 6:00 & 8:00 pm
WEEKEND ACHA HOCKEY RECAP
The Calvin ACHA hockey team split a pair of games with Lansing Community College over the weekend. The Knights are now 11-2-0-1 on the season.
On Friday night, Calvin defeated Lansing Community College 7-4 in Grand Rapids. Ben Regts scored twice to lead the way while Bart Tocci, Adam VanPpstall, Scott Plakmeyer, Chuck Hofbauer and Justin Blauwendraat also scored.
On Saturday night, Calvin traveled to Lansing and suffered a 5-2 defeat. Jarod Balog and VanOpstall were the lone goal scorers for the Knights.
Calvin will now prepare for a rivalry weekend December 4 and 5 when it faces Hope College. The Knights will host Hope on December 4 at the Jolly Roger Ice Arena at 7:00 pm and then travel to Holland on December 5 to face the Flying Dutchmen at 8:30 p.m. at the Edge Ice Arena.
CALVIN SPORTS REPORT FOR NOV. 21, 2009 (Part Two)
Men's Soccer Team Headed to NCAA III Final Four After Shootout Win Over Transylania; Women's Soccer Falls to Washington University in National Quarterfinals; Women's XC Third at NCAA III Championships - Men's XC Team 13th
MEN'S SOCCER
PITTSBURGH, PA - For the first time in school history, the Calvin men's soccer team is headed to the NCAA III Final Four. The Knights advanced to the national semifinal with a 4-3 shootout victory over Transylvania (KY) Saturday night on the campus of Carnegie-Mellon University.
The game finished in a 1-1 double-overtime tie with Transylvania scoring a late second half goal to tie the game at one. In the shootout, Calvin junior goalkeeper Ryan Bratt came up with three clutch saves with freshman Chris Nance scoring the clinching goal in the shootout. Chris Nance is a graduate of Warren DeLaSalle High School in suburban Detroit.
The shootout win is Calvin's second of the NCAA III Tournament. The Knights also edged Wartburg 3-2 in a shootout last Saturday night in a second round NCAA III Tournament game.
Calvin (17-4-3) will be making its first-ever trip to the NCAA III Final Four in men's soccer. The Final Four is scheduled to be held in San Antonio, Texas, December 4 & 5. Calvin will be the second MIAA school to advance to the Final Four in men's soccer with Alma also doing so in 1999.
Calvin took an early lead against Transylvania (16-3-3) on a goal by senior Alex McKenzie (Lindenhurst, IL/Antioch HS) in the eighth minute of play but Transylvania tied the game on a breakaway goal by Pierre Manga with just 17:56 left in regulation.
The McKenzie goal - his ninth of the season and second of the NCAA III Tournament - was set up by a long pass from the left with freshman Dan Nederhoed (East Kentwood HS) and junior Kyle Billin (Unity Christian HS) drawing assists on the play.
Calvin held a 7-5 shots at goal advantage in the first half and then outshot the Pioneers 14-3 in the second half but Transylvania was able to tie the score on a quick counterattack by Manga.
Calvin nearly retook the lead in the 82nd minute on a header by senior Luke Holtrop (Unity Christian HS) that beat the keeper but was saved off the backline by a Transylvania defender.
Calvin nearly won the game in the first overtime when junior Tyler Vegter (Unity Christian HS) took a chip in the Transylvania box and headed a shot to the top shelf of the goal that was deflected over the crossbar with a leaping stab by Transylvania goalkeeper Trey Kramer.
In the shootout, Transylvania scored on its first attempt but Calvin junior Scott Hooker (Unity Christian HS) followed with a shootout goal to tie the score. Bratt then stepped up and made the first of three saves in the shootout. Calvin missed on its second attempt and Transylvania quickly followed with a goal that was answered by a goal by Luke Holtrop to tie the score 2-2.
Bratt then came up with save number two and Calvin freshman Joe Broekhuizen followed with a shootout goal to put the Knights up 3-2. Transylvania knotted the score at 3-3 with a goal and a subsequent save by Kramer but Bratt came up huge again, stuffing Transylvania's sixth attempt, setting up the game-winning shootout goal by Nance.
"Ryan Bratt made the saves he was capable of making," said Calvin coach Chris Hughes. "We all have full faith in him and he came up with the big plays."
As for freshmen Joe Broekhuizen and Chris Nance converting in the shootout, Hughes was also assertive. "I have full faith in my freshmen. Chris Nance has not missed a penalty in training and Joe Broekhuizen is the same."
Calvin finished the game with a 26-9 shots at goal advantage. Bratt had five saves for Calvin while Kramer had 12 saves for Transylvania.
Despite holding a large shots at goal advantage, Calvin was challenged by the physical Pioneers according to Hughes. "Transylvania is a very strong physical team and we knew that to counter that, we had to play our game which I thought we did," said Hughes. "They have a wonderful goalkeeper who made some big saves and as I mentioned last night, they are very dangerous on the counterattack and got one in the second half. I am just so proud of my players though, every last one of them. Everyone contributed to this victory tonight."
As for making its first appearance in the Final Four, Hughes is excited. "The best part about it is that we get to practice and be around each other for two more weeks," said Hughes, a 1992 Calvin graduate and a former All-MIAA defensive player for the Knights. "I'm just thrilled for my players, the program and for all our soccer alumni."
WOMEN'S SOCCER (written by sports information student assistant Andrew Knot) Washington University 2, Calvin 1
The Calvin Women's Soccer team fell 2-1 to Washington University on Saturday evening on the campus in Rock Island, Ill on the campus of Augustana College.
Calvin drew first blood in the late stages of the first half, with an Emily Ottenhoff set piece finding the head of Carly Prins, a recipe that has garnered much success for the Knights in postseason play. But WashU equalized with immediacy, knotting the score at 1-1 just 37 seconds later.
The Bears charged down the field and Becca Heymann was able to drill a shot into the top-shelf and level the score at one. The teams entered half-time tied at one, each looking for the extra effort to put them over the top.
Twelve minutes into the second half, Washington found that effort. Lee Ann Felder then ushered a ball into the goal after a Caryn Rosoff cross was sent tight on the goal line, giving the Bears a 2-1 lead.
After surrendering that lead, Calvin was able to muster up a few legitimate chances on net, but unable to find the back of the net on a few occasions in the second half.
The loss capped a historic season of extremes for the Knights. After a deflating, and seemingly eliminating loss in the semifinal round of MIAA tournament play, Calvin was able to rebound and advance the furthest any Calvin team has advanced, matched only by the Knights' 2006 campaign. This hard fought effort lead Calvin to the elite eight, outscoring opponents 7-1 in that stretch. Calvin's momentum-fueled rush in postseason play has sealed the season as a success.
With this season class bookending their college careers with elite eight appearances, Coach Mark Recker had nothing but good things to say about them.
"A program's success is a measure of what each class gives back and these seniors have left a strong and long lasting impression in the program," said Recker. He continued, "We have nothing to be ashamed of or to hang our heads over. This group succeeded and did so in a way that they should be proud of."
NCAA III CROSS COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIPS RECAP
CLEVELAND, OH-The top-ranked Calvin women's cross country team could not overcome an uphill final half-mile in its bid for a national championship on Saturday. Heading into the final mile, the Knights were in position to go for the win but slid back down the stretch of a hilly Highland Park Golf Course to finish 24 points out of first place. Second-ranked Wisconsin-Eau Claire won the race with a team score of 171 points with St. Lawrence (NY) placing second with 180 points.
Calvin's top finisher was senior Jessica Koster (Grand Rapids/Grand Rapids Christian HS) with a 34th place finish (22:50) that was good for All-America honors. Senior teammate Jesi Hale (Rehoboth, NM/Gallup HS) just missed an All-America berth (top 35), placing 36th with a time of 22:53. Rounding out Calvin's finishers were senior Lauren Bergstrom (Rochester, MN/Century HS) in 48th (23:05), sophomore Jodi Hoekstra (Homer Glen, IL/Chicago Christian HS) in 75th (23:22), senior Liz Smit (Kirkland, WA/Bellevue Christian HS) in 95th (23:34), junior Gretchen Braymer (Erie, PA/Collegiate Academy) in 150 (24:03) and senior Sarah Dugan (Freeland/Freeland HS) in 201st (24:36).
Wisconsin-Eau Claire had two All-Americans while St. Lawrence had three including individual national champion Wendy Pavlus with a winning time of 21:28.
"It was a very tough course with unforgiving terrain," said Calvin head cross country coach Brian Diemer. "We are a strength-based program so we thought we would be in good shape and heading up the final hill, it looked pretty good but we just came up a little short. I'm proud of our women. They gave it their all. It just hurts because we came here to win but I would rather dream big like this team did than sit back and not go for it."
Assistant coach Al Hoekstra agreed. "The women's team went for the win and that's all you can ask for as a coach," said Hoekstra. "It was a very tough course and we just came up a little short."
In the men's race, 15th-ranked Calvin took 13th with a team score of 385 points. Sophomore Nick Kramer (Dyer, IN/Illiana Christian HS) led Calvin with a 49th place time of 26:21 with freshman Matt VanderRoest (Ann Arbor/Ann Arbor Huron HS) close behind in 51st place (26:22). Calvin's next two runners were senior Aaron Goodman (Milwaukee, WI/Milwaukee Lutheran HS) in 90th (26:40) and senior George Visser (Winfield, IL/West Chicago HS) in 139th (27:01). Calvin's final three finishers were junior Alex Wrobel (Arden Hills, MN/Mounds View HS) in 182nd (27:23), senior Ben Van Wyk (Sussex, NJ/High Point HS) in 216th (27:43) and sophomore Dan Kerr (Petoskey/Petoskey HS) in 221st (27:45).
"I am extremely proud of this team," said Diemer. "The fact that we had a sophomore and a freshman that far up is huge for our future. This team planted some seeds for the future with today's race."
Hoekstra also stated that several of Calvin's young runners who did not compete on Saturday also benefitted from watching Saturday's race. "There's no question that today's race was not only beneficial to the young guys who competed but also the young runners who watched from the sidelines. They got a first-hand look at what it takes to run at a championship level and that will drive them next year and in the years to come." North Central (IL) cruised to a national title, winning with a team score of 50 points. The Cardinals placed five runners in the top 21 and had seven in the top 35 to become the first school in NCAA III cross country history to record seven All-Americans in the same year. The national title is the 13th in North Central men's cross country history - more than any other NCAA Division III cross country program.
For more on Saturday's race, listen to interviews with Brian Diemer and Al Hoekstra on-line.
http://www.calvin.edu/sports/audio/09/XCountry/BrianDiemerNCAAs09.mp3
http://www.calvin.edu/sports/audio/09/XCountry/AlHoekstraNCAAs09.mp3
CALVIN SPORTS REPORT FOR NOV. 21, 2009 (PART ONE)
Women's Basketball Captures Wilmington Tournament Title; Men's Basketball Defeats Lake Forest In Consolation Game of Calvin Tip-Off Tourney; Swimming and Diving Teams Fall to Wayne State in Dual Meet Action
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
WILMINGTON, OH—Calvin captured the championship of the Wilmington College Domino's Tip-Off Tournament, defeating host Wilmington 67-59 in the championship game Saturday afternoon.
With freshman center Carissa Verkaik (Holland Christian HS) saddled with foul trouble on Saturday, senior forward Brook Van Eck (Lowell HS) stepped up to provide a double-double with 15 points and 13 rebounds. Freshman Allison Wolffis (Muskegon-Mona Shores HS) also scored 10 points and grabbed nine rebounds off the bench.
For her efforts, Van Eck was named the tournament MVP. She was joined on the all-tournament team from Calvin by Wolffis.
"We're just really excited to win this tournament," said Calvin women's basketball coach John Ross. "I was really proud of our effort, particularly since we played most of the game without Carissa. We had contributions from everyone down the line. We played really loose and upbeat. Our effort was tremendous. We're not focusing on wins and losses right now. We're just going out and playing right now."
Calvin led 38-35 at halftime and stretched its lead to as many as 11 points in the second half. Wilmington later trimmed the lead to five points late in the second half but the Knights connected on four free throws in the final 1:30 to help seal the win.
Calvin (3-0) limited Wilmington (1-1) to 33.8 percent field goal shooting and enjoyed a six-point advantage at the free throw line with the Knights connecting on 17 of 24 at the line (.708) while Wilmington was 11 of 17 (.647) at the stripe.
Calvin returns to action next Friday when it faces Elmhurst (IL) in a tournament hosted by Olivet College.
All-Tournament Team: Rose-Hulman: Eli Baca Marian: Nikki Schmidt Wilmington: Kortney Kin Wilmington: Amy Bricker Calvin: Ally Wolffis MVP: Calvin: Brook VanEck
MEN'S BASKETBALL
After dropping their opening round game to Grace Bible College in disappointing fashion, the Calvin Knights rebounded with an 85-78 victory over Lake Forest College on Saturday.
The Knights opened the game shooting hot from the field and transition points got Calvin out to an 8-1 lead early. But the Foresters battled back to take a 9-8 lead and the teams traded points for most of the first half.
Eventually, Calvin's scorching hot shooting was too much for Lake Forest in the first half. Calvin shot 64% from behind the arc with junior Danny Rodts contributing 14 points off of 3-3 shooting from three-point territory. Brent Schuster also displayed his mid-range talent with 8 first half points of his own. A John Mantel buzzer-beating three from the right wing gave Calvin a 49-44 lead going into the second half.
Lake Forest hung around in the second half, despite strong efforts from Calvin's Mantel. Mantel exhibited the inside presence Calvin so desperately needed in their first round game. His baseline fade-away and "and-one" efforts maintained a Calvin lead in the second half. Halfway through the first half, however, the Foresters tied the game at 63, and later took a two point lead. Freshmen Bryan Powell then stepped up and hit a crucial three-pointer to give Calvin a 68-67 lead. Calvin then continued to bang the ball inside. Another tough lay-up with a foul for Mantel gave Calvin a six point lead, which they controlled through the remainder of the game. Free throws and rebounding kept Calvin on pace, concluding an 85-78 victory for Calvin.
Mantel led the Knights in scoring with 23 points. He was also the leading rebounder, with eight boards to his name. Rodts finished with 20 points of his own, and shot 5-10 from the field.
"I told the team before the game, we are going to find out a lot about the character and hear of this team. We were mentally really good. We were very enthusiastic with a lot of talk and encouragement," said Coach Kevin Vande Streek.
Vande Streek added that he was excited to see more success in the paint, something he feels should be a strength of the Knights.
On the overall performance of his team, Vande Streek concluded, "I'm disappointed with didn't win the tournament, but in the big picture that's not the biggest thing. We gained experience."
In the championship game, Davenport defeated Grace Bible College 78-74.
All Tournament Team: Patrick Hanley (Lake Forest), John Mantel (Calvin), Allen Durham (Grace Bible), Nathan Cox (Davenport), MVP: James Neslon(Davenport)
MEN'S AND WOMEN'S SWIMMING AND DIVING
In another day of action for the Calvin swim and dive team and despite taking a pair of losses for both men and women's teams, the Knights swam what coach Dan Gelderloos called their best meet of the year at home against Division II team Wayne State University.
A Saturday event held at Calvin's Venema Aquatic Center, the losses pushed Calvin's season record to 2-2 and 1-3 for the women and men respectively in dual meet action. The women, recently ranked at #5 in the Division III Top 25 poll, fell by a score of 146-92, and the men, who have received votes in the poll but are not ranked in the Top 25, lost by a team score of 164-74.
"Today we swam what was probably our best meet so far," Gelderloos said after the meet had concluded. "Sometimes it's good to step up your confidence and get out of your comfort zone to get a reality check of what else is out there."
"We found out some things and got some good surprises here today," Gelderloos continued, "and we found some other things that will need some more time to work on, but all in all we're going to hit the break feeling good about ourselves."
On the women's side, the best finishes were a first place finish by Stephanie Fox in the 200 yd free at 1:56.53, and second place finishes in the 200 yd medley relay by the A-team at 1:51.56, the 50 yd free by Monica Bressler at 24.87, the 400 yd IM by Rachel Colasurdo at 4:51.14, the 100 yd free by Colasurdo at 54.64, the 500 yd free by Fox at 5:15.52, and in 1 metr diving by Cassandra Herman with a score of 255.35.
For the men there were second place finishes in the 50 yd free by Mark Rushlow at 22.32 and in the 200 yd free relay by the A-team at 1:31.30. Third place finishes included the 200 yd medley relay by the A-team at 1:41.21, the 50 yd free by Kurt Van Allsburg at 22.41, the 400 yd IM by Stephen Kraft at 4:37.00, the 100 yd free by Jon Herrema at 51.04, the 100 yd back by Tyler Westman at 57.70, and the 500 yd free by Ross Battoclette at 5:05.10.
Calvin will have one more meet before heading off to Puerto Rico for a team cross-cultural trip where the swimmers will get a chance to get out of the United States and experience another country, even getting the chance to do some swimming there.
"We're going to treat it [Puerto Rico] as a cross-cultural experience," Gelderloos said of the upcoming trip, "and it'll be good to get these kids out to another place, somewhere different, which is always a fun thing for me, and it'll definitely be a very busy and action-packed week."
Before that trip, the Knights will host the Calvin Winter Invitational, a two-day event that will see teams from around the MIAA coming to compete. The meet is scheduled for December 3-5.
CALVIN SPORTS REPORT FOR NOVEMBER 20, 2009
Men's/Women's Soccer Headed to NCAA III Quarterfinals; Women's Basketball Defeats Marian – Men's Basketball Falls to Grace Bible
MEN'S SOCCER Calvin 2, Carnegie-Mellon 1
PITTSBURGH, PA – The Calvin men's soccer team has advanced to the national quarterfinals of the NCAA III Tournament. The Knights moved on in the NCAA III Tournament with a 2-1 victory over host Carnegie-Mellon late Friday night.
Calvin (17-4-2) will face Transylvania in Saturday's national quarterfinal at 7:00 p.m. (EST). Transylvania advanced to Saturday's quarterfinals by winning a penalty kick shootout over Swarthmore Friday night.
The contest will mark Calvin's second foray into the national quarterfinals as the Knights also achieved the feat in 1980.
Calvin's game against Carnegie-Mellon (16-3-1) featured late-game fireworks in the way of goal scoring.
Calvin broke a scoreless tie with a goal by junior back Kyle Billin (Hudsonville/Unity Christian HS) with just over 15 minutes left in regulation. The play began with a long throw-in by sophomore Tyler Vegter (Hudsonville/Unity Christian HS) that was flicked over to Billin by freshman Chris Nance (Washington, MI/Warren DeLaSalle HS).
Calvin then took what appeared to be a commanding 2-0 lead on a goal by junior Brad Heethuis (Jenison/Unity Christian HS) with 8:57 left in regulation. The Heethuis goal was set up by a rush up the right wing by junior Scott Hooker (Hudsonville/Unity Christian HS) who slid a pass through the goalmouth that Heethuis banged in for his six goals of the season.
The goal by Heethuis would prove to be the winning goal as Carnegie-Mellon struck back just 30 seconds later on a goal by All-American forward Ricky Griffin to slice the deficit in half. Carnegie-Mellon then mounted a final furious charge at the Knights and nearly found the equalizer on a direct kick from 25 yards out with just over a minute to play that was saved by Calvin junior goalkeeper Ryan Bratt (Silver Spring, MD/Washington Christian Academy) with a sprawling save.
The Tartans then collected a corner kick but the corner was headed out of danger by Calvin in the closing seconds, allowing the Knights to pull out the win.
"Wow. What a game," said Calvin men's soccer coach Chris Hughes afterward. "Carnegie-Mellon has a fantastic team. A really wonderful team but our boys were up to the challenge tonight and matched their effort. I thought our defensive backline was tremendous, particularly senior Greg Snapper and junior Lucas Wilgenburg. We also received huge contributions from Kyle Billin and Dan Nederhoed on defense. Nederhoed was just splendid on both ends of the field."
Calvin finished the game with a 12-11 shots at goal advantage. Bratt recorded six saves for Calvin in just his fourth start in goal for the Maroon and Gold.
"Ryan Bratt was just stellar again," said Hughes. "We have all the confidence in the world in him. He stepped up and made a huge save on that direct kick. He played the shot with textbook form."
Calvin will now turn its attention to Transylvania, a squad that upset Ohio Wesleyan 1-0 a week ago and then battled Swarthmore to a 0-0 tie before winning in a penalty kick shootout.
"Tranyslvania is a very dangerous side," said Hughes. "They have a dangerous counterattack and are very strong on defense. We'll have our hands full tomorrow night."
Saturday's national quarterfinal game will begin at 6:00 p.m. (EST) at Carnegie-Mellon with the winner advancing to the NCAA III Final Four in San Antonio, Texas, December 4 & 5.
WOMEN'S SOCCER Calvin 2, Augustana 1 (by Calvin sports information student assistant Andrew Knot)
ROCK ISLAND, IL – For the second time in four years, the Calvin women's soccer team is headed to the national quarterfinals. The Knights defeated host Augustana 2-1 Friday night in a Round of 16 NCAA III Tournament game. Calvin (16-4-1) will face Washington University (MO) which advanced to Saturday's quarterfinal by winning a penalty kick shootout against Wheaton after the game finished in a 0-0 tie.
Saturday's national quarterfinal game will begin at 7:00 p.m. (EST) at Augustana with the winner advancing to the NCAA III Final Four in San Antonio, Texas, December 4 & 5.
Saturday's quarterfinal game will feature the second meeting of the year between Calvin and Washington University with the Bears picking up a 1-0 win at Calvin in mid-September.
After losing in the first round of the MIAA tournament and failing to secure an automatic bid for the NCAA tournament, all seemed lost for the Knights. Calvin's group of seniors which had visited the elite eight in their freshman year saw their season come to a crashing halt. Their tournament dreams rapidly turned to nightmares.
But the best part of a nightmare is waking up. After a week void of practice and filled with frustration, the Knights' got their wake up call. The wake-up call came in the form of a dream tournament bid, a first round draw on their home turf.
But a wake-up call is pointless if unanswered. Calvin answered, in the biggest way. After taking shutting out their first and second round opponents by a collective score of 5-0, Calvin found itself in the sweet sixteen.
Their opponent, Augustana, a one-seed, the fifth ranked team in the country, on its home turf. After going down 1-0 in the 28th minute, Calvin responded with the very thing that had gotten them this far: set pieces.
In the 35th minute, junior Lauren Heyboer (Portage/Kalamazoo Christian HS) took her corner kick success to the right wing in the form of a set piece. She found her favorite target, junior Carly Prins (Hudsonville/Unity Christian HS), who directed a header towards the far post and equalized the score at 1-1.
From this point on, Calvin took total control of the game, controlling possession and creating far more chances than Augustana. With continued pressure, the Knights took a 2-1 off another set piece. In the 64th minute, junior Mindy Capisciolto (Hudsonville/Unity Christian HS) played a short corner kick to junior Elaine Schnabel (Chesterton, IN/Chesterton HS), who hit the far post nylon an a shot from the 18 on the left wing.
With a 2-1 lead, Calvin sealed a 2-1 victory with some outstanding play from the back line. The Knight's defense shut down the Augustana attack and completed a 2-1 victory.
"I knew if we could apply a high degree of pressure we would be able to stay in the game," said Coach Mark Recker.
The victory only furthered the dream tournament run for the Knights.
"[Losing in the MIAA tournament] was a huge wake up call. We are playing with so much more energy, joy, and overall motivation," said senior goalkeeper Kayla Sulzer.
Sulzer is among the senior class who reached the elite eight in their freshmen year.
"It feels great to be back [in the elite eight]. It's a huge blessing," she said.
Goal scorer Elaine Schnabel echoed that sentiment, "We feel blessed that we got an invitation to play in this NCAA tournament and we want to celebrate that gift as long as God allows us to do so."
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL Calvin 68, Marian 50
WILMINGTON, OH – A youthful Calvin women's basketball team upped its season record to 2-0 on the year with a 68-50 victory over Marian College (IN) Friday night at the Wilmington Inn/Damon's Tip-Off Tournament.
Freshman center Carissa Verkaik (Holland/Holland Christian HS) had another big game with 17 points and 13 rebounds, recording her second double-double of the season. Sophomore Courtney Kurncz (St. Johns/St. Johns HS) had 11 points while senior Brook VanEck (Lowell/Lowell HS) had nine points and senior Amber Benthem (McBain/McBain Christian HS) and freshman Allison Wolffis (Muskegon/Muskegon Mona Shores HS) eight points apiece.
Calvin led 38-20 at halftime and outrebounded Marian 41-36.
Calvin will face host Wilmington – a 63-37 first round winner over Rose-Hulman Institute Friday – in the championship game on Saturday at 3:00 p.m.
Saturday's game will be the first meeting between the two teams since a second round NCAA III Tournament game in 2007 won by Calvin 73-67.
Men's Basketball (written by sports information student assistant Derek Neice)
The Calvin men's basketball team opened its 2009-10 season on a losing note, falling to the Tigers of Grace Bible College by a score of 83-68.
Calvin will face Lake Forest in the consolation game on Saturday at 1:00 p.m. while Grace Bible moves on to play Davenport – an 88-73 winner over Lake Forest – in the championship game at 3:00 p.m.
"We're just inexperienced as a group," Calvin coach Kevin Vande Streek said of his teams 0-1 start to the year. "The only way we can get that experience is to come out and play, and unfortunately we played a good team, and they were better than us."
The victory was the first by Grace Bible in 10 tries. Now 7-2, the Tigers are the defending National Christian College Athletic Association champions.
Senior Matt Veltema led the Knights with 19 total points. Junior Brad Schnyders chipped in 13 and seniors Trent Salo and John Mantel both added 8 apiece. Off the bench, freshmen Brian Powell and Tom Snikkers finished with 6 and 5 points respectively, and sophomore Brian Haverdink came in and scored 3 points as well as leading the team with 3 assists.
"I thought in the first half defensively, especially the first ten minutes or so, we were just really poor," Vande Streek said, "and it's frustrating because that's what we really want to hang our hat on."
"One good thing I saw was that when we got down by a bunch we didn't fold," he continued, "but whenever we got close we gave up a lay-up or an uncontested three, and that's everybody's responsibility, mine included."
"We're all in this together and we all need to work to get better," Vande Streek concluded.
The first half saw Grace jump out to an early lead, a lead it would maintain over the entirety of the game. Calvin never led at any point, but did manage to keep it close at points.
Grace started the game on an 18-4 run, with senior Brandon Herlein scoring 12 of those points. Calvin battled back throughout the half, cutting the deficit to 46-41 by the break.
In the second half the Knights put them in the best possible position to make a move for control of the game. They cut the lead to 60-58 at around the 10-minute mark in the half, but then the Tigers pulled away and never looked back, pushing the score to an eventual 83-68 finish.
From the field, Calvin shot 39.3 percent as compared to Grace's 49.3 percent.
"For tomorrow we'll watch some tape and shoot around a bit and point out a few things to the guys," Vande Streek said of the team's mentality moving forward, "so we'll watch and try to learn something from there and put it in to practice tomorrow."
CALVIN SPORTS REPORT FOR NOVEMBER 18, 2009 (PART TWO)
Greg Snapper Named ESPN The Magazine Academic All-American in Men's Soccer; Brian Diemer Named Men's/Women's Great Lakes Cross Country Coach of the Year - Nick Kramer Named Men's Regional Athlete of the Year: Women's Swimming and Diving Ranked Fifth In Collegeswimming.com Top 25 Poll - Men Receiving Votes
MEN'S SOCCER
Calvin College senior Greg Snapper has been named an ESPN the Magazine Academic All-American.
A native of Madison, Wisconsin, Snapper has been named to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America second team in the college division in men's soccer. The college division includes NCAA II and III institutions as well as schools from the NAIA ranks.
The ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America program is voted on by the College Sports Information Director's Association of America (CoSIDA).
A graduate of Madison West High School, Snapper is the Veldhouse is the fourth men's soccer player from Calvin to receive ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America honors, joining Joel Veldhouse (2004), Sam Glass (1997 & 1998) and Will Watts (1997) to have done so.
A four-year starter at sweeperback on defense, Snapper was named the MIAA's Most Valuable Player in 2008 & 2009 while earning a spot on the All-MIAA first team three straight years. As a freshman in 2006, Snapper was named to the All-MIAA second team. Earlier this fall, he was named the MIAA's Defensive Player of the Week for the fifth time in his career. Last year, Snapper was also named to the Great Lakes All-Region second team.
Snapper has led a Calvin defense this fall that has posted 13 shutouts this year and is ranked 22nd nationally in goals-against-average (0.62) and 18th in shutout percentage (.590).
Snapper has also been a part of three MIAA championship teams and three Calvin squads that have reached the NCAA III Tournament. Calvin is currently 16-4-2 overall and headed to the Round of 16 of the NCAA III Tournament. The Knights will take on Carnegie-Mellon (PA) Friday night at 7:30 p.m. in a national semi-quarterfinal game scheduled to be held in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
A three-time member of the MIAA Academic Honor Roll and a six-time member of the Calvin Dean's List, Snapper carries a double-major of Spanish and biochemistry while maintaining a 3.75 grade point average.
Calvin has now had its athletes receive ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America accolades 82 times including 51 times in the last 12 years.
MEN'S AND WOMEN'S CROSS COUNTRY
Calvin College cross country coach Brian Diemer has been named the Division III Great Lakes Regional Men's and Women's Cross Country Coach of the Year. Diemer swept both awards late this afternoon as announced by the United States Track and Field Cross Country Coaches Association.
Despite losing five of its top seven runners from a year ago, Diemer led the Calvin men's cross country team to its 23rd consecutive MIAA title and its 14th consecutive Great Lakes Regional title. At the Great Lakes Regional meet, Diemer's team placed five runners in the top 25 led by sophomore Nick Kramer who took first place individually. At the MIAA Championships, Calvin posted a perfect score of 15 points.
Diemer has also had the Calvin women's cross country team on top of the Division III Top 35 polls for the last seven weeks. This fall, Diemer led the Calvin women's cross country team to its fifth consecutive MIAA title and its 21st overall. At the MIAA Championships, Calvin posted a perfect score of 15 points and followed with a first place score of 50 points at the Great Lakes Regional, to win the regional crown for the third-straight year.
In addition, Nick Kramer has been named the Great Lakes Regional Men's Cross Country Athlete of the Year by the USTFCCCA. A native of Dyer, Indiana, Kramer became the ninth individual in Calvin men's cross country history to claim a Great Lakes Regional title this past Saturday, running 25:45, nine seconds better than the next fastest runner.
A graduate of Illiana Christian High School, Kramer also took first place at the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletics Association Jamboree and MIAA Championships this fall, garnering MIAA Most Valuable Runner honors.
Both Calvin cross country teams will compete at the NCAA III Championships this Saturday in Cleveland, Ohio. Baldwin-Wallace College will serve as host. The Calvin women's cross country team will head in ranked number-one while the Calvin men's cross country team will head in ranked 15th.
For more information on the national meet, please visit the Baldwin-Wallace championships site at: - http://www.bw.edu/athletics/09ccnationals/
MEN'S AND WOMEN'S SWIMMING AND DIVING
Collegeswimming.com has released its first Division III Top 25 poll of the year and the Calvin women's swimming and diving team is ranked fifth. Under the direction of head coach Dan Gelderloos, the Knights are currently 2-1 in dual meet competition. Meanwhile the Calvin men's swimming and diving team which is 1-2 in dual meet competition is receiving votes in the men's poll but is not in the top 25. The MIAA includes three men's teams in the top 25 with Kalamazoo ranked fifth, Hope 18th and Olivet 22nd.
The complete poll can be found on-line at: http://collegeswimming.com/news/2009/nov/17/kenyon-leads-division-iii-poll/
Both Calvin teams return to action on Saturday when they host Division II Wayne State University at the Venema Aquatic Center at 1:00 p.m. A year ago, both Wayne State teams earned national runner-up finishes at the NCAA II Championships.
