A hot weekend on the pitch for the Hope College men's soccer team concluded with a shutout win against Eureka College (Illinois) on Saturday.
The Flying Dutchmen sizzled among 90-degree temperatures to claim a 4-0 victory and their second shutout of the season.
"This is a good result against an extremely hard-working Eureka team," said head coach David Blahnik. "We have several players who have been pretty beat up after playing four extremely tough games in the last seven days. Our players off the bench really stepped up today."
The 6-1 Flying Dutchmen jumped ahead quickly with a goal from freshman Jackson Mindling (Grand Rapids, Michigan / Grand Rapids Christian HS) in the fourth minute.
Fifth-year senior Matt Wimmer (Farmington Hills, Michigan / Detroit Jesuit) lofted a pass to Mindling, who broke past the Eureka defenders for his fourth goal of the week and sixth of the season.
In the 41st minute, junior Seth Walters (St. Joseph, Michigan / St. Joseph) added to Hope's lead with a beautiful bicycle kick from a redirect off the head of sophomore Caden Chenlo (East Grand Rapids, Michigan / Grand Rapids Christian). Walters now has four goals.
One of the 18 Hope corner kicks during the match resulted in Hope's third goal during the 60th minute.
Senior Mario Hrvojevic (Lincolnwood, Illinois / Loyola Academy) blasted the corner kick, finding junior Grant Hassenrik (Ada, Michigan / Grand Rapids Christian), who found the back of the net, putting the Flying Dutchmen up 3-0. It was Hassenrik's fourth goal this season.
A free kick in the 72nd concluded Hope's scoring, as sophomore Micah Wieland (Bristol, Indiana / Northridge) connected for his first collegiate goal.
Senior Daniel Hesselbein (Barrington, Illinois / Barrington Community) did not need to make a save to earn the victory in net.
"I'm proud of the character of our guys who may not have gotten the minutes they're hoped for in the last few games, but were ready to help us today when their opportunity came. This is a really fun and determined team, and I'm excited to see them continue to develop and grow."
Hope returns home to Van Andel Soccer Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 21, at 3 p.m. to take on unbeaten Wabash College (Indiana). There will be a free team poster giveaway after the game.
