Box Score by Alan Babbitt
The Hope College men's lacrosse team wiped away an early deficit on the road with a dominant first-half stretch.
The Flying Dutchmen set themselves up for a 22-11 win at Kalamazoo College on Saturday by holding the Hornets scoreless for 11 minutes in the first half, including the final 9:28 of the first quarter.
Goals from four different players over the final 6:47 of the first quarter propelled Hope to a 6-3 lead. The Flying Dutchmen built that into a 12-5 halftime lead.
Hope equaled a season-high in goals while improving to 12-2 overall and 4-0 in MIAA play. The Flying Dutchmen remained a one-game lead over second-place Albion College with two games remaining.
An MIAA title share and the top seed in the MIAA Tournament can be clinched on Tuesday, April 26, at 6 p.m. when the Flying Dutchmen host Alma College at Van Angel Soccer Stadium.
On Saturday, senior Zach Wiggins led Hope in scoring while enjoying a return to his hometown.
The attacker from Kalamazoo, Michigan (Mattawan HS) scored a game-high five goals, giving him a team-best 46 on the season. Wiggins needs four more goals to become the Flying Dutchman with 50 goals within a single season.
Wiggins scored with 1:10 remaining in the first quarter to cap Hope's decisive four-goal run.
The rally started on a goal from senior Jack Radzville (Howell, Michigan / Howell) with 6:47 remaining that tied the score at 3-3.
Two minutes later, senior Jonathan Mann (Plymouth, Michigan / Detroit Jesuit) gave the Flying Dutchmen the lead for good with a goal that featured an assist from his brother, sophomore Michael Mann (Plymouth, Michigan / Detroit Jesuit).
Hope won the faceoff, setting up Michael Mann for a goal of his own 27 seconds later.
The Flying Dutchmen forced three turnovers and allowed only two Kalamazoo shots for nearly 10 minutes after the Hornets took a 3-2 lead 5:13 into the first quarter.
Thirteen different goal scorers contributed for the Flying Dutchmen, including senior Ethan Pinto (Caledonia, Michigan / Caledonia) with three.
