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The Hope College men's lacrosse team poses with the MIAA Tournament championship trophy.
Mackenzie McMahon
23
Winner Hope HOPE 13-5
14
Albion ALBION 14-5
Winner
Hope HOPE
13-5
23
Final
14
Albion ALBION
14-5
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 F
Hope HOPE 5 7 8 3 23
Albion ALBION 3 5 5 1 14

Game Recap: Men's Lacrosse | | Mackenzie McMahon and Alan Babbitt

Men's Lacrosse Stuns Top-Seeded Albion, Captures MIAA Tournament Title

The defense for the Hope College men's lacrosse team showed up big at a moment it counted the most.

After Albion College rallied at home to pull even with 6 ½ minutes remaining in the second quarter, the Flying Dutchmen didn't allow another goal the remainder of the half.

Hope took the lead back three minutes later and never relinquished it again, downing the top-seeded Britons, 23-14, in the MIAA Tournament championship game.

The second-seeded Flying Dutchmen avenged a 21-12, regular-season loss at Albion in the April 12 league opener and punched their ticket to the NCAA Division III Championships for the third time in program history.

Hope will play at fourth-ranked Christopher Newport University (Va.) in the second round on Friday, May 12, at 4 p.m.

From the backline to the attack, head coach Michael Schanhals was thrilled with how his team performed.

"I probably said 200 times tonight, 'Keep working, keep working!" I finally looked up at the score with about three minutes left — that was the longest three minutes ever," Schanhals said. "Tonight was a great testament to how hard these guys have worked all season. They've really battled. We've been through injuries and different things. I'm so proud of these guys.

"You don't always get what you want just because you work hard. Tonight we did."

Saturday marked the fifth consecutive Hope-Albion MIAA final. Hope now has won three times, including twice at Albion. The Flying Dutchmen avenged the 2022 title game loss to Albion at home at Van Andel Soccer Stadium. 

The Flying Dutchmen jumped out to a 4-0 lead, scoring three times in less than 30 seconds. Albion (14-5 overall) rallied to take a 7-6 lead, then tied the score at 8-8 with 6:27 remaining in the second quarter.

Led by senior goalie John Shea (Commerce Township, Michigan / Detroit Catholic Central), the Britons would not score again until 26 seconds into the second half. 

Meanwhile, senior Alex Goodall (Clarkston, Michigan / Lutheran Northwest) scored two of Hope's four goals that launched the Flying Dutchmen to a 12-8 halftime lead.

While the two teams combined to score 13 times during the third quarter, Hope never let the Britons charge back closer than three goals.
The Flying Dutchmen yielded only one goal in the fourth quarter. 

Hope held the Britons to their lowest-scoring game against an MIAA opponent this season as well as their first game under 20 goals against a league foe in 2023.

The Flying Dutchmen forced 13 turnovers and received two caused turnovers apiece from defenders John Foster (Ada, Michigan / Forest Hills Central), Tucker Martinez (Zeeland, Michigan / Zeeland West) and Luke Wierengo (Northville, Michigan / Northville).

Shea recorded 10 saves against the MIAA's highest-scoring offense. Albion averaged 24.5 goals over six regular-season league games.

"John played amazing tonight. He worked his tail off," Schanhals said.

Offensively, Hope excelled as well. The 23 goals marked the most scored in an MIAA Tournament final, surpassing the Flying Dutchmen's 19 vs. Albion during the 2019 title game.

The 37 goals were far different than the 13 recorded in the 2022 final, which Albion won 8-5.

Sophomore attacker Sam Bowen (Grand Rapids, Michigan / Forest Hills Central) recorded a game-high six goals for Hope while also registering one assist.

Five more Flying Dutchmen posted multi-goal games, including junior Michael Mann (Plymouth, Michigan / University of Detroit Jesuit) and Goodall with four goals apiece. Mann also collected two assists.

Wierengo chipped in two goals, as did senior Colin Stecco (East Grand Rapids, Michigan / East Grand Rapids) and junior midfielder Blaine Hynde (Muskegon, Michigan / Reeths Puffer).
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