Calvin Athletics will host a trio of homecoming sporting events on Saturday, Oct. 5. This includes its first-ever homecoming football game and also the opening of the new Calvin Soccer Stadium for the men’s and women’s soccer teams.
The homecoming football game also includes the first-ever halftime show performance by Calvin’s marching band.
The Knights host Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) conference rival Alma College. The Scots were preseason ranked seventh in the nation and were predicted to win the conference. Going into the game, the Scots sit just outside the top 25.
The Knights are looking to claim their first conference win in program history after losing 31-33 on a last-second touchdown to Kalamazoo College on Sept. 28.
In week one, the Knights’ first-ever game garnered a spectator count of 4200+ fans at Grand Rapids Christian’s Eagles Stadium; head coach Trent Figg expects this homecoming game to be no different.“I think it’ll be even more than that. As many as we will let in the stadium, I think will be there,” Figg told Chimes.
“We know it’s going to be electric, there’s going to be a lot of fans,” redshirt freshman Trevor Martens told Chimes.
While the homecoming games can be special for fans and supporters, the players and coaches view it as just another home game.
“We’re not going to let that affect us, you know, we’re just going to play our game,” Martens explained.
Following the football game, women’s soccer hosts MIAA rivals Saint Mary’s at 4:30 for the opening of the new soccer stadium.
While this is the second season on the new Zuidema field, this game marks the first with the new stadium around the field. The new stadium includes permanent stands, bathrooms, concessions and new underground locker rooms.
“We’ll have concessions. We haven’t had concessions at a Calvin soccer game in its history,” men’s soccer Head Coach Ryan Souders told Chimes.
Souders believes these additions will help create a better experience for both spectators and players.“The fan experience will be about 50-100 fold what it has been for supporters over the last 148 years,” Souders told Chimes.
Souders also believes the new additions to homecoming weekend will be good for soccer and the community. “With our new football team there’s a new cause of excitement. And what’s kinda neat is that it makes a weekend of it,” Sounders told Chimes.
“There are a lot of unique and cool athletic events to celebrate this homecoming weekend,” said Souders.
The night will end with the men’s soccer team hosting Kuyper College at 7:30 following the women’s game. The team is excited to go out in front of the crowd for the first time.
“Students are excited because being able to play in a beautiful venue with good attendance is a really fun thing to be a part of,” Souders said.
Souders expects a lot of alumni to be in attendance for the new stadium dedication, which will happen in between the two soccer games as well. The dedication will honor former Calvin soccer coach, Dr. Marv Zuidema, whom the field is named after.
The game for the Knights concludes the men’s soccer teams’ out of conference schedule before they begin conference play, hosting rival Hope College on Wed, October 9.
