The Hope College men's lacrosse team leaned on what brought the Flying Dutchmen to a championship showdown, facing a game like never before in The Rivalry.

A focused, precise, and physical start from the opening faceoff set the tone for a title-clinching, 19-7 victory against Calvin University on a Senior Day Saturday in front of a season-high crowd of 775 at Van Andel Stadium. 

The sixth-largest crowd in NCAA Division III men's lacrosse this season witnessed a historic men's lacrosse moment in The Rivalry: the first Hope-Calvin game where the winner would become an MIAA champion.

"Our discipline is our destiny, and they have lived into that all year, working their tails off from the fall on," head coach Michael Schanhals said of his group of student-athletes. "It's really fun to see it come to fruition in a big rivalry game like today."

Hope delivered, earning at least a share of a third consecutive MIAA title and clinched the top seed for the upcoming MIAA Tournament with a 5-0 league record. The Flying Dutchmen are the second team in MIAA history to win three league titles in a row, matching Albion College, which was the outright champ three seasons in a row between 2015 and 2017.

On Wednesday, April 22, Hope can win an outright MIAA championship with a victory at Adrian College. The opening faceoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.

Saturday's complete performance extended Hope's best start ever, now to 15-0 and 5-0 in MIAA play. The Flying Dutchmen — who also matched their longest winning streak in program history, equaling the 2018 mark — have won all 17 meetings since The Rivalry began in men's lacrosse in 2017.

Calvin fell to 11-3 overall and 4-1 in MIAA play. The Knights are now in second place in the league standings with one game remaining.

Hope scored the first four goals and never trailed. The Flying Dutchmen held the Knights scoreless until the 4-minute, 4-second mark of the first quarter and built a 6-2 lead over the opening 15 minutes.

Offensively, Hope featured a familiar, balanced attack with three attackers scoring four times apiece: junior Gibson Heethuis of Hudsonville, Michigan (Hudsonville), sophomore Preston Hoexum of Ada, Michigan (Forest Hills Eastern), and sophomore Jack Zuiderveen of Hudsonville, Michigan (Hudsonville).

Heethuis added a game-high five assists for nine points. He became the Flying Dutchmen's first 100-point scorer in a single season, reaching 101 points with 46 goals and a school-record 55 assists.

Hoexum and Zuiderveen also contributed two assists apiece. Hoexum leads Hope with 47 goals in his first season.

Defensively, senior goalie Jack Balmforth of Livonia, Michigan (Detroit Catholic Central) stymied the Knights when they managed to work through Hope's relentless pressure, recording 12 saves.

Calvin committed 34 turnovers to the Flying Dutchmen's seven. Hope caused 25 of the turnovers, spearheaded by six from sophomore long-stick midfielder Tyler Berens of West Olive, Michigan (West Ottawa), and five from freshman midfielder Jackson Arnold of Ada, Michigan (Forest Hills Eastern).

"We really did a nice job of putting pressure on them and staying in their mittens," Schanhals said. "We made sure they had contested opportunities and even contested passes."