Skip To Main Content
Skip To Main Content

Hope College

Scoreboard

#BeStrongBeTrue
Three Hope men's soccer players celebrate a goal vs. DePauw
Branden Nall
Pictured, from left, Matthew Davidson, Thomas DeVries and Ryker Corstange
0
DePauw DEPAUW (9-5-6, 3-2-3)
2
Winner Hope HOPE (14-2-3, 5-0-2)
DePauw DEPAUW
(9-5-6, 3-2-3)
0
Final
2
Hope HOPE
(14-2-3, 5-0-2)
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
DePauw DEPAUW 0 0 0
Hope HOPE 0 2 2

Game Recap: Men's Soccer | | Alan Babbitt

No. 16 Men's Soccer Boots DePauw in NCAA Tournament Opener

A freshman and a senior helped the Hope College men's soccer team tame the Tigers of DePauw University (Indiana) in the first round of the NCAA Division III Tournament.

Freshman Jackson Mindling and senior Thomas De Vries both scored from the center of the box in the second half to propel the 16th-ranked Flying Dutchmen to a 2-0 victory on Friday in Eau Claire, Wisconsin.

"We knew DePauw would do a good job of clogging the middle outside the box and denying us those clear center-of-the-goal shooting opportunities," head coach David Blahnik said. "We knew we had to kind of pivot and get some cut-back balls across. What we love about this team is we have a lot of depth, whether it's a fifth-year senior or a freshman. We have the ability to attack in two, three, four different ways."

Friday marked Hope's seventh all-time opening-round victory in postseason play and first since 2013 against the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh.

The Flying Dutchmen (14-2-3) advanced to face host and seventh-ranked University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire in the second round on Saturday, Nov. 16, at 1 p.m. Central.

Eau Claire defeated Lake Forest College (Illinois), 5-0, in Friday's first game. It is the first all-time meeting between Hope and Eau Claire.

"I'm proud of our guys and thrilled for our guys," Blahnik said. "I think we've been kind of building to this point this year and a couple of years. We've been capable for a couple of years, but it's a matter of stringing it together consistently. We knew it could be a tough game. I thought we played well throughout the whole game."

Earlier in the season, Hope and DePauw played to a 2-2 draw at Van Andel Soccer Stadium. The Tigers (10-5-6) went on to win the North Coast Athletic Conference Tournament.

After the Flying Dutchmen missed a couple of quality scoring chances early, Mindling (Grand Rapids, Michigan / Grand Rapids Christian HS) put the Flying Dutchmen on the board 10 minutes, 41 seconds into the second half.

Senior Matthew Davidson (Grand Ledge, Michigan / Grand Ledge) centered a pass that junior Seth Walters (St. Joseph, Michigan / St. Joseph) dropped to a nearby Mindling.

Mindling dribbled two steps before blasting a right-footed shot past into the low left corner of the DePauw goal. Both Davidson and Walters were credited with assists.

It was Mindling's 12th goal of the season, tying him with junior Seth Walters (St. Joseph, Michigan / St. Joseph) for the team lead.

Mindling and Walters are the second set of Hope teammates to both score at least 12 goals within a single season. In 2005, Karter Klingenberg and Geoff Meyer accomplished the feat with 15 and 14, respectively.

The Flying Dutchmen put the match away with 11:06 remaining.

Senior Mario Hrvojevic (Lincolnwood, Illinois / Loyola Academy) set a shot 15 yards away from the right wing that deflected off the hands of DePauw goalkeeper Sam Ortner.

The rebound came to the feet of DeVries (Byron Center, Michigan / South Christian), who easily buried it into the back of the net for his fifth goal of the season.

Hope's defense delivered its 10th clean sheet of the season. 

DePauw only mustered three shots, all of which senior goalkeeper Daniel Hesselbein (Barrington, Illinois / Barrington Community stopped. 

"The guys in front of me made my job easier," Hesselbein said.
Gallery: (11-15-2024) Men's Soccer vs. DePauw (NCAA)


 
Print Friendly Version