The Hope College men's soccer team put on a commanding display at home on a rainy Wednesday night, cruising to a 7-0 victory against Lake Michigan College in an exhibition game at Van Andel Soccer Stadium.
The Flying Dutch jumped out to an early lead and never looked back, firing three goals in the first half before adding four more in the second stanza.
Freshman Eli Jarrell (Naperville, Illinois / Naperville Central HS) opened the scoring in the seventh minute off dynamic setup play from freshman Jonathan Kern (Holland, Michigan / West Ottawa) and junior Owen Ceithaml (Holland, Michigan / Holland).
Just under four minutes later, senior Micah Wieland (Bristol, Indiana / Northridge) doubled the advantage with a finish set up by senior Seth Walters (St. Joseph, Michigan / St. Joseph). Walters then added a goal of his own in the 25th minute to send the Flying Dutchmen into halftime with a comfortable 3-0 cushion.
The attack continued relentlessly after the break.
Senior Josh Reyes (Rochester Hills, Michigan / Oakland Christian) found the back of the net in the 50th minute off an assist from freshman Tate Pellow (Byron Center, Michigan / Byron Center), and Pellow scored unassisted six minutes later. Reyes struck again in the 61st minute for his second tally of the match, followed less than a minute later by a JP Hogsten (Holland, Michigan / Holland Christian) goal (assisted by Pellow) to cap off the 7-0 victory.
Hope dominated total possession (58% to 42%) and outshot Lake Michigan College 23-7 overall, including a 14-6 advantage in shots on target.
In goal, senior Cooper Hutt(Grand Rapids, Michigan / Grand Rapids Christian) logged 65 scoreless minutes with two saves, while freshman Jack Hoekstra (Byron Center, Michigan / Zion Christian) completed the combined shutout, making four saves over the final 24 minutes of play.
Offensively, the Flying Dutch were led by Reyes and Pellow, who each recorded two goals and four points.
Pellow also paced the team in both total shots (5) and assists (2).
Hope begins MIAA league play next time on the field on Wednesday, Oct. 7, at 7 p.m. at Albion College.
