The 18th-ranked Hope College men's soccer season continued a hot start to the 2024 season with a 4-1 victory against Wabash College (Indiana) on Saturday.
Led by freshman Jackson Mindling's two-goal performance, the Flying Dutchmen won their fourth consecutive match and improved to 7-1 overall.
Mindling (Grand Rapids, Michigan / Grand Rapids Christian HS) now has eight goals this season, most among MIAA players and among the NCAA Division III leaders.
Head Coach David Blahnik lauded his leading goal scorer as a key piece of an offense which has taken the Flying Dutchmen to their best eight-game start since an 8-0 record in 2018.
"Jackson scores goals in a variety of ways: finesse, powerful shots, winning in the air," Blahnik said. "It's also a massive credit to the rest of our team because of the way we move the ball, allowing us to put him in situations where he can do his job and put the ball in the back of the net."
Mindling's first goal of the game came off a throw-in from senior defender Cole Pauly (Mundelein, Illinois / Mundelein), which he flicked over the heads of the defenders in the box and into the corner of the goal.
Later in the first half, a cross from midfielder Alan Alcala (Kalamazoo, Michigan / Kalamazoo Central) was deflected by a Wabash player for an own goal.
As Hope nursed a 2-0 lead, senior goalkeeper Daniel Hesselbein (Barrington, Illinois / Barrington Community) made a pair of saves, including a diving punch over the crossbar, which delayed an attempted comeback by Wabash.
The Flying Dutchmen kept momentum as midfielder Matt Wimmer (Farmington Hills, Michigan / Detroit Jesuit) played a backwards pass from the goal line to forward Seth Walters (St. Joseph, Michigan / St. Joseph), who finished the job to extend Hope's lead to 3-0.
Wabash then scored its only goal of the game, on a deflection off a Hope player, bringing the score to 3-1.
Hope finished off Wabash as junior Grant Hassenrik (Ada, Michigan / Grand Rapids Christian) made an unselfish pass across the box to Mindling, who netted his second goal of the match.
This match was Mindling's third match of the season with multiple goals. He has scored in all but three matches that Hope has played.
Hesselbein finished the game with four saves. Hope outshot Wabash 22-13.
The Flying Dutchmen play again on Wednesday, Sept. 25, at 7 p.m. vs. DePauw University (Indiana) at Van Andel Soccer Stadium.
