Calvin athletics opened the year with six wins, a second-place finish and a third-place finish in ten events last week. Both the men’s and women’s soccer and golf teams, as well as the volleyball team, kicked off their seasons with favorable outings. Men and women’s cross country also took part in time trials to prepare for an upcoming MIAA Jamboree.
Out on the pitch, both men’s and women’s soccer won their first game of the weekend but lost the second.
Defending the home turf at the Cal Bergsma Memorial Tournament, the men found their way to a 2-1 comeback victory against nationally ranked Ohio Wesleyan, scoring the winning goal in extra time after allowing a goal in the first half. Against North Central (Ill.) the men tasted defeat after a second half rebound was tucked away. They performed well enough to break into the NSCAA Division III Top 25, now ranked 19th in the nation.
In Rock Island, Illinois, the women’s soccer team had similar results earning split decisions by winning their first game and then losing their second. They put four goals in this weekend — three in the first game and one in the second — but conceded two goals both games to end with an even goal differential.
Junior Taylor TenHarmsel, who scored one of the goals against Webster, expressed excitement about her new teammates.
“We lost some great players from last year, but the new players have done a great job replacing those holes in the team,” said TenHarmsel.
Despite it being early in the season, TenHarmsel looks forward to seeing her team grow towards their full potential.
On another front, both men’s and women’s golf took a spot among the top three in their respective outings.
For the men, first year student John Van Noord earned a medal, finishing two strokes ahead of the competition at the Olivet Lou Collins Invitational. John spoke positively about his teammates this year:
“We will be pushing each other to get even better and become a tight knit group of guys that will constantly be supporting each other.”
His brother, senior James Van Noord, was disappointed in his own performance but still had a positive outlook on his team’s effort.
“We need to relish our accomplishment of recent but also stay focused and remember that what really matters is what’s next,” Van Noord said.
The women’s team also used their first tournament as an opportunity to start the year off in the right direction by finishing third at the Furniture City Classic. Junior Jennie Poole noted that it was a good time to get back in the swing of things.
“There are parts of our game we all want to work on, like putting and short game,” she said.”It will be a good season, and we are excited for what it has to bring.”
Finally, the volleyball team also started off strong with four victories over the weekend. On the first day, they were forced to play nine sets, winning 3-1 and 3-2. They swept their two games on the following day as well.
