Hope College

HOPE WOMEN'S SOCCER ORIGIN AND MILESTONES

The women's intercollegiate program made the transition from playing field hockey to soccer in 1989.

The Flying Dutch earned their first MIAA championship in 2003. It also marked a significant MIAA milestone because Hope became the first conference member to win a championship in all 18 league-sponsored sports.

After its initial MIAA championship in 2003, Hope went on to three-peat with an outright title in 2004 and a share of the championship in 2005. 

The Flying Dutch won three MIAA championships in four years between 2014-17. Hope earned outright titles in 2014 and 2017 and a championship share in 2016. 

The 19 wins during the 2017 season are the most in team history. Hope finished with a 19-3-1 record.

The Flying Dutch have competed in the NCAA Division III tournament eight times (2003, 2004, 2005, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2021 fall).

In 2021, the Flying Dutch played in the spring because the Fall 2020 season had been postponed because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Flying Dutch played only against MIAA opponents and finished with a 4-2-1 record.

PLAYERS AND PLAYS OF NOTE

In the 2018 NCAA Tournament, Hope advanced to the sectional round for the first time with a 2-1, second-round victory at Otterbein College (Ohio) on November 10, 2018. Rylie Dalton scored twice in a 15-minute span in the first half for the Flying Dutch. One year earlier, Dalton scored the game-winning goal in a 1-0 NCAA Tournament victory against Wisconsin-Whitewater at Wheaton College (Illinois).

Hope's first MIAA women's soccer MVP was Tina Gill '99. She was a three-time, All-MIAA player who set the single-season record for assists.

Goalkeeper Holly Nestle is the Flying Dutch's all-time leader with 41 career shutouts. She was credited with 15 shutouts in her freshman year (2003) rank among the NCAA Division III leaders. She repeated the fete (15 shutouts) in 2005.

Dawn Gillam established Hope's marks for scoring in MIAA games between 2001-04 with 35 goals, 23 assists, and 93 points. She was voted the MIAA's most valuable player as a senior (2004).

In 2008, Allison Van Beek became the third Hope player to achieve MIAA most valuable player recognition.

The Flying Dutch moved to the Van Andel Soccer Stadium during the 2009 season. Hope was 2-2 at Van Andel during the inaugural season. The 2012 Flying Dutch were undefeated at Van Andel (8-0-1). The 2014 Flying Dutch also went unbeaten at home (8-0-2).

The 2014 Hope team matched the second-most wins in team history with a 17-4-2 record. Coach Leigh Sears and the Flying Dutch claimed their fourth MIAA championship and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Division III national tournament. Hope upset fourth-ranked Wheaton on its turf in the first round of the NCAA tournament.

Elizabeth Perkins capped her record-setting Hope soccer career with two goals in a 4-2 win over Kalamazoo in the MIAA Tournament match on Nov. 5, 2016. Perkins finished the season with a school-record 25 goals and 57 points, including a school-record 19 goals in MIAA play.

COACHES OF NOTE

Leigh Sears has guided the Flying Dutch to six of their MIAA championships. After the 2022 season, she guided the Flying Dutch to 260 wins with a .655 win percentage. 

Interim coach Lindsey Engelsman led Hope to the 2003 MIAA title. She took over as coach while Leigh Sears was on a teaching sabbatical.