The Hope College men's lacrosse team begins its quest for an MIAA Tournament title on Wednesday, May 2 with a 7 p.m. semifinal against Alma at Van Andel Soccer Stadium. The winner advances to Saturday's championship match to play either Albion or Trine.
The Flying Dutchmen are making an MIAA Tournament appearance as the No. 1 seed for the first time. They won their first regular-season championship with a 7-0 league record.
MIAA Tournament Homepage, Including Link To Game Program
MIAA Statistics
Photo by Hope's Nick Bazany by Lynne Powe
Hope (14-1 overall) has set school records for wins in a single season and a 14-match win streak. The Flying Dutchmen have won every game since dropping the season opener 9-4 to Carthage
(Wisconsin) on February 24.
The Flying Dutchmen are seeking their first postseason win. They are 0-2 in MIAA Tournament matches, losing to Alma 11-10 last season at Van Andel Soccer in MIAA semifinals and at Adrian 24-12 in 2013 semifinals.
Head coach Michael Schanhals has been Hope's head coach all six of its varsity seasons. He has a 53-40 career record in NCAA matches for his alma mater. Prior to that, he served as the Flying Dutchmen's club coach for seven seasons.
Sophomore attacker Rocco Mularoni is the Flying Dutchmen's first MIAA Most Valuable Player. He earned the award on offense from the league's coaches. He has 52 goals this season — second-most all-time at Hope. He is 12th in the nation at 3.47 goals per game.
Long-stick midfielder Gareth Ulmer is ranked among the national leaders for caused turnovers. He is tied for 15th in Division III at 2.67 caused turnovers per game.
Hope's defense is also among the nation's best. The Flying Dutchmen are third in Division III in scoring defense at 5.47 goals allowed per game. They have yielded five or fewer goals nine times this season, including shutouts against Concordia Chicago and Calvin.
Alma is one of two opponents to reach double-digit goals against the Flying Dutchmen this season. The Scots fell 15-11 at Hope on April 4 at Van Andel Soccer Stadium. Albion is the other, losing 14-11 to the visiting Flying Dutchmen on April 24.
