by Odille Parker

The Hope College men's lacrosse closed out the regular season with a 13-5 win at Trine University on Saturday afternoon.

With Trine having a golf course located on its campus, the Flying Dutchmen decided to have a little fun prior to their season finale, dressing up as characters of the film "Caddyshack."

"We had to have a little fun for the last regular season game," said head coach Mike Schanhals. "We came out and played really, really well, and really connected. We were flying around the field and had great energy."

Hope ends the season with a 9-1 overall record and 3-1 in MIAA play. Their next game will be in the MIAA Tournament on Saturday, May 1 against an opponent to be determined.

Midfielder Liam Cunningham, pictured right, of South Lyon (Detroit Catholic Central HS) put Hope on the board one minute into the first quarter, scoring the first of 10 unanswered goals by the Flying Dutchmen. 

Junior attacker Jack Radzville (Howell/Howell HS) and freshman attacker Michael Mann (Plymouth/University of Detroit-Jesuit) led in scoring with three goals each. Senior midfielder Luke Elder of Grand Rapids (East Grand Rapids HS) followed up with two goals and two assists.

John Shea had another exceptional game at goal. The Commerce Township sophomore (Detroit Catholic Central HS) had nine saves.

The Thunder made a strong stance on groundballs, with each team picking up 27 for the game.

Junior Cole Scheffler of Rockford (Rockford HS) was also key on the dot, going 12-19 in faceoffs. 

"We're excited for this next phase of the season," Schanhals said of the upcoming MIAA tournament. "We have so many new guys that have no idea what (the league tournament) is all about, so it's going to be really fun to watch them learn… and obviously, our veterans got a really good idea. They didn't get a chance to do it last year, and they are fired up for the chance this year."