On a chilly afternoon, the Hope College men's lacrosse team heated up at an opportune time.

The Flying Dutchmen erupted for seven third-quarter goals amid 30-degree temperatures to claim a 15-8 victory against perennial regional power Illinois Wesleyan University on Saturday at home.

Hope emerged victorious at Van Andel Soccer Stadium in a matchup of two preseason conference favorites and two teams who competed in the second round of last season's NCAA Division III Championships. 

It was the first game of the 2024 season for both teams. Hope was chosen as the team to beat in the MIAA, Illinois-Wesleyan in the College Conference of Illinois-Wisconsin.

Head coach Michael Schanhals was proud of how the Flying Dutchmen turned a 5-5 halftime tie into a 12-7 lead by the start of the fourth quarter.

"We had a lot of opportunities early, and we needed to make one more pass," Schanhals said. "We talked at halftime about making one more pass and getting easier goals. We just battled."

Hope struck twice in the first 1 ½ minutes of the second half to take a 7-5 lead. Senior attacker Michael Mann (Plymouth, Michigan / University of Detroit-Jesuit HS) and senior midfielder Sean Cunningham (South Lyon, Michigan / Detroit Catholic Central) delivered unassisted goals for the Flying Dutchmen.

After Illinois Wesleyan pulled back within a goal twice, Hope scored four times over the final 8:06 of the third period. 

Junior attacker Sam Bowen (Grand Rapids, Michigan / Forest Hills Eastern) set up junior midfielder Nick McCreery (Rockford, Michigan / Rockford) and junior midfielder David Brace (Plymouth, Michigan / Plymouth) for goals three minutes apart.

Then, freshman attacker Gibson Heethuis (Hudsonville, Michigan / Hudsonville) took over and set up Mann twice in a span of 1:48 for a 12-7 lead with 2:33 remaining.

Mann finished with a game-high four goals. Heethuis chipped in three goals, Brace, too.

Hope extended its lead to 14-7 late in the fourth quarter while keeping Illinois Wesleyan off the board for nearly 21 minutes. The Titans ended their scoreless run on Ike Eastburn's goal with 2:32 remaining. Eastburn topped IWU with two goals.

The Flying Dutchmen collected 24 of their game-high 32 ground balls after halftime killed off a two-minute unreleasable penalty early in the fourth quarter.

Sophomore goalie Jack Balmforth (Livonia, Michigan / Detroit Catholic Central) recorded 18 saves — a home-field record for Hope and tying for fifth-most all-time in a single game.

Sophomore midfielder Will Jewell (Northville, Michigan / Detroit Catholic Central) led the Flying Dutchmen's ground ball effort with five. 

"Our defense was tough," Schanhals said. "Jack was outstanding."

The victory was the Flying Dutchmen's second in eight all-time meetings with Illinois Wesleyan.

Hope's next game is Saturday, Feb. 24, at 1 p.m. Central at Aurora University (Ill.).