Calvin women’s soccer saw its postseason run come to a close on Nov. 21 in a 1–0 loss to fourth-ranked Messiah University. While the season didn’t end the way the Knights hoped, the journey there was most certainly one to remember, with multiple heartstopping finishes.
On Saturday, Nov. 15, the Knights hosted Illinois Tech University (ITU) at Zuidema Field in a matchup that would determine who would advance to the sweet 16. Trailing 0-1 at halftime, Calvin faced an uphill battle in front of their home crowd. Similarly to what they’ve done during this whole postseason run, they responded to the deficit. “We came out in the second half buzzing,” senior defender and Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) Most Valuable Player (MVP) Mia Judd said, reflecting on how the momentum shifted almost immediately. “The momentum changed, the wind was in our favor, and the crowd was loud. Ellery Boeving found her first goal of the season,” Judd continued.
Boeving’s equalizer ultimately sent the match into overtime, and at that moment, Judd and the rest of the crew knew they had it. In just the sixth minute of overtime, junior Mikaela Warroway took possession and struck from far outside the box. The ball sailed over the outstretched arms of ITU’s goalkeeper, finding the back of the net.
“I have never sprinted so fast to celebrate,” said Judd, who had her final game at Zuidema end with that moment. Judd said that as soon as Warroway shot it, “I knew it was going in. I got flashbacks of a near identical goal as the Greenville game earlier this season.”
For Warroway, it was a matter of seizing an opportunity she had been tracking. “A few plays earlier in the game, I had noticed the goalie was off her line, and I was just like, you know, I’m gonna give it a shot,” Warroway said. The decision paid off, and the celebration that followed is something she says she’ll never forget: “That moment where all my team just jumped on top of me is definitely one I’ll cherish forever.”
Calvin goalkeeper Kalex Dodge delivered a spectacular performance as well, stopping nine out of 10 shots on goal — even more significant because ITU outshot Calvin 20-8 as well as 10-5 with shots on goal.
To say the Knights’ postseason run has been dramatic would be an understatement. All four matches have been decided by a single goal, from Cece McCarthy’s game-winner vs Hope in the final 45 seconds for the MIAA title, to Warroway’s golden goal in the regional final.
Judd noted that what makes this group stand out is their relentlessness: “We will never stop playing until after that final whistle blows.” She pointed back to an earlier matchup against Trine, where the Knights erased a one-goal deficit to win 2–1. “It showed us once again that the game isn’t actually over until it’s over,” Judd said.
No one on the team is surprised at the clutch play, pointing to resilience built from early-season struggles as they dropped their first four games of the season against ranked teams. Junior midfielder Lindsay Hart mentioned that after taking some time to figure out roles and build chemistry, the group now has a “better understanding of our team identity and how to play our game, which lets us focus on just doing everything we can with the opportunities we create.”
Before taking the field against Messiah, head coach Emily Oltenhoff, who is fresh off being named MIAA Coach of the Year and guiding the Knights to another unbeaten conference slate, reminded her team to appreciate the opportunity to be one of the final 16 programs still playing soccer in Division III. Though the run has since come to an end, the Knights delivered a postseason that they and their fans won’t soon forget.
