Hope College opened its 2026 men's lacrosse campaign with a poised, physical, and steadily escalating performance on Saturday afternoon, pulling away late for a 14–9 victory over Wabash College.
The Flying Dutchmen used a balanced scoring effort, a dominant second half, and a standout showing at the X to outlast the Little Giants (1-3).
The opening quarter swung like a pendulum.
Wabash struck first at 10:18 , but Hope answered with back-to-back goals from sophomore Preston Hoexum (Ada, Michigan / Forest Hills Northern HS) and senior Jackson Early (East Lansing, Michigan / East Lansing) just ten seconds apart, flipping the momentum in a flash. Wabash equalized with nine seconds left in the first stand, sending the game into the second tied 2–2.
The second quarter belonged to Wabash early, as the Little Giants built a 5-3 lead. Hope steadied itself with a critical stretch of offense. Freshman Jackson Arnold (Ada, Michigan / Forest Hills Eastern) buried a feed from sophomore Weston Godbold (Lowell, Michigan / Lowell), and Hoexum struck again with 50 seconds left to pull Hope within 6–5 at halftime.
The third quarter marked the turning point.
Arnold tied the game at 6-6 just 90 seconds in, and from there Hope's offense began to flow. Junior Gibson Heethuis (Hudsonville, Michigan / Hudsonveille) delivered a go-ahead goal at 9:27, then assisted Hoexum minutes later to push the lead to 8–6. Hope's defense tightened, holding Wabash scoreless for the entire quarter and forcing seven turnovers.
Senior goalie Jack Balmforth (Livonia, Michigan / Detroit Catholic Central) anchored the Hope defensive effort, finishing with 10 saves on the day.
The Flying Dutchmen erupted for six goals in the final frame, turning a tight contest into a decisive win.
Sophomore Jack Zuiderveen (Hudsonville, Michigan / Hudsonville) opened the final quarter with a solo strike, followed by goals from freshman Jackson Vasquez (Lake Orion, Michigan / Lake Orion), Godbold, and a man-up finish from Heethuis after a pair of Wabash penalties. Heethuis added his third goal of the day at 7:56 to cap a dominant performance.
Vasquez closed the scoring with 48 seconds left.
Hope's attack was driven by a standout performance from Heethuis, who paced the offense with three goals and three assists while adding five ground balls.
Hoexum matched him with three goals of his own, generating a team-high 14 shots.
Arnold delivered two timely goals, and Vasquez also put up two goals and four ground balls, while Godbold contributed a goal and an assist.
At the X, Early was exceptional, winning 12 of 18 draws and scooping eight ground balls to tilt possession Hope's way.
Hope returns to the field on Saturday, February 28 on the road at Lake Forest College at 2 pm. Central.
