A pair of goals off corner kicks bookended a commanding 4-1 win for the Hope College men's soccer team at Alma College on Tuesday.
Defender Ryan Gervase and forward Jackson Mindling scored off set pieces at the 5-minute and 66-minute mark, respectively, and helped the Flying Dutch finish the regular season with an 11-2-3 overall record and a 4-1-2 mark in MIAA play.
"Winning on the road in the MIAA is very difficult, so for the guys to score four goals tonight against a challenging opponent in their environment was a great way to end the regular season on a strong note," head coach
David Blahnik said. "I am also very pleased with the team to have another multi-goal game with multiple goal scorers all scoring in different ways. Due to a variety of factors, we had to adjust and play in a few different ways than we have this year, and the guys didn't skip a beat."
Hope will host a MIAA Tournament quarterfinal on Saturday, Oct. 31, at 3 p.m. at Van Andel Soccer Stadium and face sixth-place Alma (6-9-1, 2-4-1 MIAA) for the second time in five days.
"We are excited to begin postseason play at home and are working hard to keep this momentum going into MIAA tournament play," Blahnik said.
The Flying Dutch asserted themselves quickly at Alma (6-9-1, 2-4-1 MIAA).
Gervase (Naperville, Illinois / Naperville Central) delivered his first collegiate goal 5:02 after the opening kickoff, burying the corner from senior defender Evan Morrison (Canton, Michigan / Canton).
Hope doubled the lead just before halftime. Junior forward Ryker Corstange (Richland, Michigan / Gull Lake) launched a bouncing ball shot into the bottom left corner for his career-best eighth goal of the season.
The Flying Dutch pounced quickly after the second-half kickoff. Senior forward Seth Walters (St. Joseph, Michigan / St. Joseph) put home the rebound off the shot from senior midfielder Josh Weigel (Naperville, Illinois / Naperville Central), netting his team-leading 15th goal of the season and 42nd of his career.
After Alma's Gabe Lara scored off a penalty kick in the 56th minute, Mindling (Grand Rapids, Michigan / Grand Rapids Christian) answered 10 ½ minutes later with a bicycle kick off the corner from senior midfielder Evan Tsandes (Park City, Utah / Park City). It was Mindling's 11th goal of the season and MIAA-leading sixth in league games.
It was Hope's third consecutive game with four goals.
