Under the lights at Van Andel Soccer Stadium on Wednesday evening, the Hope College men's soccer team delivered a forceful 4–1 victory over Adrian College in Wednesday's MIAA Tournament semifinal.
The No. 1 seeded Flying Dutchmen punched their ticket to championship Saturday where they will host No. 3 seed and rival Calvin University on Saturday, Nov. 8, at 1 p.m. at Van Andel Soccer Stadium.
"I'm proud of the discipline on both sides of the ball our guys are showing as of late and all the credit goes to them for executing in the right moments," said head coach David Blahnik.
The victory improves Hope's MIAA semifinal record to 6–5 and marks the program's fifth appearance in the tournament final since 2011. In their previous four title-match meetings with Calvin, Hope holds a 1–3 record.
Against Adrian, Hope struck first with elegant execution.
In the fourth minute, junior Josh Weigel (Naperville, Illinois / Naperville Central) threaded a driven ball into the box, where senior Matthew Davidson (Grand Ledge, Michigan / Grand Ledge) rose above the defense and angled a clinical header into the top-left corner for his fourth goal of the season, giving Hope a 1–0 lead and jarring the match open.
After halftime, the Flying Dutchmen extended their lead. A driven pass split the Bulldogs' back line, sending junior Evan Morrison (Canton, Michigan / Canton) slicing through the center of the pitch. One-on-one with the keeper, Morrison stayed composed and finished low to the right side for a 2-0 lead in the 58th minute.
Adrian (6-13-1) struck in the 75th minute on a goal from Kyle Jennings, but the Flying Dutchmen answered quickly. An intentional Adrian handball in the box drew a red card and awarded Hope a penalty. Morrison stepped to the spot and delivered with authority, firing the ball past the goalkeeper's right side to complete his brace and extend the lead to 3–1. Morrison's first two-goal game of the season raised his goal total to three.
As the Bulldogs pushed forward, Hope seized the final moment. Sophomore Jackson Mindling (Grand Rapids, Michigan / Grand Rapids Christian) broke free on a transition run, drawing the goalkeeper out before gliding around him and ripping a finish bar-down to seal the 4–1 result and send the Flying Dutchmen into celebration.
Hope outshot Adrian, 26-4, and for the second consecutive season did not yieled the Bulldogs a shot on goal.
