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Calvin Claims Victory in Ryan Souders Debut
Friday, August 31, 2012
BLOOMINGTON, IL - The Ryan Souders era of Calvin men’s soccer opened on a winning note as Calvin defeated Augustana 4-1 Friday night at a tournament hosted by Illinois Wesleyan University. The contest was the first for Calvin under first-year head coach Ryan Souders and the Knights did not disappoint, bolting out to a 3-0 halftime advantage. The two teams then traded single goals in the second half as the Knights cruised to the win.
Men’s Soccer Team Picked to Finish Second in MIAA Preseason Coaches’ Poll
Monday, August 27, 2012
2012 Calvin Men's Soccer Outlook
The Calvin men’s soccer team has been picked to finish second in the MIAA preseason coaches’ poll released earlier today. Hope is the preseason favorite with the Flying Dutchmen receiving six out of a possible eight first place votes. Calvin received one first place vote as did Olivet which finished third in the poll. Trine is picked to finish fourth followed by Adrian in fifth, Albion in sixth, Alma in seventh and Kalamazoo in eighth. A year ago, Calvin captured its fifth consecutive MIAA regular season title - becoming the first school in MIAA men’s soccer history to do so. The Knights later advanced to the NCAA III Tournament finals before bowing to Ohio Wesleyan University. Calvin is scheduled to open its 2012 campaign on August 31 against Augustana University in a game slated to be played in Bloomington, Illinois.
Grand Rapids Press Story on Calvin Men’s Soccer Team
Calvin Lands 123 Scholar-Athletes on MIAA Academic Honor Roll
Tuesday, August 14, 2012
2011-12 MIAA Academic Honor Roll
The 2011-12 Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) Academic - Honor Roll has been announced by Commissioner David Neilson and 123 Calvin scholar-athletes have been named to the list. The honor roll recognizes scholar-athletes who achieve a minimum 3.5 grade-point average (on a 4.0 scale) for the entire 2010-11 academic year. A student needed to have won a varsity letter in a sport to be eligible. The MIAA Academic Honor Roll program was initiated in 1990 to recognize students at MIAA member colleges who excel both in athletics and in the classroom.
Calvin Men’s Soccer Program Set to Kick Off Season Under Ryan Souders
Tuesday, August 14, 2012
2012 Calvin Men's Soccer Schedule
By Mitch Blankespoor
The Calvin College men’s soccer team looks to start a new season with new leadership. A year ago, the Knights were champions of the MIAA for a record fifth year in a row, and advanced all the way to the national finals. Calvin finished with a record of 19-6-2. The upcoming season, however, is not the only new thing upon the Calvin’s men’s soccer program. Ryan Souders will take the reins for his first year as the Knights’ head coach. The team Souders takes over has one thing: experience in big games. The senior class is one of the most successful in school history, having been to two national championship games and an NCAA III Elite Eight appearance.
Men’s Soccer Ranked 13th in NSCAA III Division III Preseason Top 25 Poll
Tuesday, August 07, 2012
NSCAA Division III Top 25 Preseason Poll
The Calvin men’s soccer team is ranked 13th in the National Soccer Coaches Association Division III Top 25 poll. A year ago, Calvin reached the NCAA III Championship finals and finished with an overall record of 19-6-2. Calvin will be under the direction of first-year head coach Ryan Souders this fall. The Knights are scheduled to open their 2012 campaign on August 31 at a tournament hosted by Illinois Wesleyan University. Calvin is one of two MIAA schools in the top 25 as rival Hope is ranked 20th. Calvin and Hope are scheduled to meet twice this fall - September 26 at Hope and October 20 at Calvin.
Calvin Finishes 24th in Final Learfield Director’s Cup Division III Standings
Thursday, June 07, 2012
Final Directors Cup Division III Standings for 2011-12
For the 17th consecutive year, Calvin has posted a top 25 finish in the final NCAA III Learfield Sports Directors Cup standings, finishing 24th in the nation in Division III in 2011-12 with a total of 483.50 points. Calvin is one of only six schools in the country to finish in the top 25 every year that the competition has been held at the NCAA III level. Joining Calvin in that elite group are Williams, Mass., Amherst, Mass., Middlebury, Vt., the State University of New York at Cortland and Emory, Ga. Combined, nine of Calvin’s 19 sports teams scored Directors Cup points during the 2011-12 academic year.
Ryan Souders Named Calvin Men’s Soccer Coach
Monday, May 07, 2012
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. - Ryan Souders is the new head men’s soccer coach at Calvin College. A native of Wheaton, Illinois, Souders (Sow-dirs) is a 2003 Wheaton Academy Graduate and a 2007 graduate of Wheaton College. Souders becomes the seventh head coach in Calvin men’s soccer history. He was preceded by Roul Bykerk (1959), Tony Brouwer (1960), Marv Zuidema (1961-1967, 1969-1997), Ralph Honderd (1968), Dave VerMerris (1998-2001) and Chris Hughes (2002-2011). Hughes departed Calvin earlier this spring to accept the head men’s soccer coaching position at Davenport University. The 27-year old Souders has served as an assistant men’s soccer coach both at Gordon College (MA) and at his alma mater Wheaton. He most recently spent two years an an assistant coach at Division I Davidson College in Davidson, North Carolina. This past fall, he was part of a Davidson coaching staff that helped the school upset second-ranked North Carolina 1-0. Souders also has experience as both a player and coach at the professional level. He joined the Davidson coaching staff after competing for (non-professional) Bridges F.C. in Chicago in 2009. Prior to returning to the pitch, he served as the goalkeeping coach for the Cleveland City Stars Reserve Team. In 2010, he served as a goalkeeper for the Charlotte Eagles - a member of the USL-2 Pro Division.
Chris Hughes Departing Calvin Men’s Soccer Program
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
After more than 20 years with the Calvin men’s soccer program including 10 as head coach, Chris Hughes is departing Calvin to take the head men’s soccer coaching position at nearby Davenport University. A 1992 Calvin College graduate, Hughes has fashioned a won-loss record of 154-48-22 (.737) that includes seven MIAA titles and seven trips to the NCAA III Tournament (2004, 2005, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011). In 2009, Hughes took Calvin where no soccer team in school history had gone before - all the way to the NCAA III Championship finals as the Knights advanced to the NCAA III Final Four and defeated Dominican University 1-0 in the semifinals before falling to Messiah 2-0 in the finals. This past fall, Calvin again reached the NCAA III Final Four and finished second, bowing to Ohio Wesleyan in the championship game. A search for a replacement for Hughes will begin immediately.
Goal (finally) accomplished
Sunday, January 01, 2012
In the 61st minute of a Sept. 16 men’s soccer game against Wheaton, with Calvin on top 1-0, freshman Travis Vegter (left) won the ball at midfield, dribbled through a crowd and delivered a pass to the top of the box from the right flank. There waiting for it was his older brother. Without hesitation, Tyler (pictured below) buried a shot to give the Knights what would stand as the game-winning goal.
Travis Vegter Named Prime Time Performer by CollegeSoccer360.com
Saturday, December 24, 2011
College Soccer Prime Time Performer List
Calvin College freshman Travis Vegter was recently named to the CollegeSoccer360.com Championship Week Prime Time Performer team. A native of Hudsonville and a graduate of Unity Christian High School, Vegter was saluted by the website for his efforts at the NCAA III Final Four earlier this month where he scored three goals and was named to the NCAA III Final Four All-Tournament team. Vegter finished the year with 16 points on the strength of six goals and four assists. He scored two goals in a 4-2 NCAA III Semifinal win over Oneonta State and scored another in a 2-1 loss to Ohio Wesleyan in the national final.
