2009 Season Summaries

CCLA Tournament Recap
Semifinal Contest - Davenport 20, Hope 17 (5/2/09)
Hope faced a tough test in matching up with nationally ranked (2) Davenport University in the semifinals of the CCLA Tournament. Hope gave them all that they could handle though with the Dutchmen fighting hard the entire contest and coming back to tie the game at 17 deep in the fourth quarter. DU’s firepower was too much in the end and they scored on a fastbreak off a goalie save and outlet with just over two minutes left in the contest. Hope was forced to pressure and the Panthers chipped in a couple more goals in the last two minutes. Davenport secured a chance at the CCLA title with the win, and they eventually earned a #3 seed in the MCLA national tournament.

With a possible upset in the works and a bid to the MCLA national tournament on the line the seniors, Dan Burns (captain), Chris Wendt, and Nick Zupancich gave the halftime speech. The Dutchmen were hanging in there in this chippy contest with the score knotted at nine at the half. Burns said it best, “I am so proud to be on this team.” That was the sentiment of the day as the Dutchmen gave all they had to give.

Leading all scorers for Hope was Eric Weber who had five goals and two assists, including four straight in the third quarter, despite being faceguarded the entire game. Ron Radcliffe had a breakout performance with his first three goal game, and Allen Campbell handled the ball in crucial situations and had three goals and three assists. Dillon Fink had five goals on the day. Ryan Holmes ran the length of the field from his defensive position to add two assists. Dan Glaser had a single goal, and Keegan Aguilera and Brent Martin both tallied single assists.

CCLA Tournament Recap
Quarterfinal Contest - Hope 16, Oakland 15 (ot) (5/1/09)
The sixth-seeded Hope College Flying Dutchmen advanced to the semifinals of the CCLA Tournament with a thrilling 16-15 sudden-death overtime victory on Friday, May 1 over the Oakland Grizzlies. The Dutchmen avenged an earlier loss to the third seeded Grizzlies with the win. Hope had as much as a five goal lead in the second half after a five goal performance in the third quarter by Eric Weber. The Grizzlies would not go away though, and they scrapped back to force a tie with a six goal fourth quarter. A stiffened defense and solid goalie play by freshman Brian Kunkler in the last two minutes secured a tie in regulation.

OT was all Hope’s though, as Brent Martin won the initial faceoff to secure possession for the Dutchmen. After a time-out, Allen Campbell drew the defense and skipped the ball to Dillon Fink who ripped a shot from the wing that deflected off the Oakland goalie. Eric Weber was on the doorstep and he sealed the deal for the Dutchmen with a point blank stuff after snagging the rebound. Pandemonium ensued as Hope earned their first CCLA tournament victory and the right to advance to the semifinals against nationally ranked (2) Davenport University.

Midfielder Brent Martin battled at the dot all day earning thirteen faceoff victories, nine ground balls, and a goal and assist. Nick Leonard picked a great time to score his first goal of the season in a game where every goal counted. Keegan Aguilera had six ground balls and an assist and led with his defensive tenacity. Dan Glaser had nine ground balls. LSM Duncan Wierengo had thirteen ground balls on the day and marked their top middie.

The starting defense of Ryan Holmes, Noah Busman & Brad Machiela was disciplined throughout the contest limiting the man-up opportunities for Oakland with only four penalties on the day. Backstopping the defense were Pieter Norden, who recorded six saves on the day, and Brian Kunkler who saved seven.

Dillon Fink tallied two goals and an assist, Allen Campbell scored four times and had three assists, and Eric Weber finished with eight goals on the day including the clincher in OT.

Flying Dutchmen Post Eighth Win of Season (4/23/09)
On a beautiful spring evening at the Buys Athletic Fields the Flying Dutchmen (8-2) controlled the contest from start to finish in a 15-2 victory over visiting Alma. In their final home contest, seniors Chris Wendt and Nick Zupancich, both tallied their career first goals. Wendt scrapped for a loose ball in front of the cage and buried the rebound, and Zupancich caught a pass on the wing and ripped one home. The two were playing at attack rather than their normal longstick defensive positions.

Team captain and senior midfielder Dan Burns took turns at longstick as he tallied ten ground balls and one assist in his final home game. Eric Weber (1g), Allen Campbell (3g), and Dillon Fink (2g) totaled goals in the opening minutes of the contest before they switched to defense for the remainder of the game. Starting goaltender Pieter Norden had five saves in shutting out the Scots in the first half before playing out in the field for Hope. Brent Martin had a goal before stepping into the cage in the second half.

Dan Glaser (1g), Brad VandeVusse (1g,1a), Nick McBride (1a), Keegan Aguilera (2g), Duncan Wierengo (2a), Ryan Holmes (1g), and Noah Busman (1g) rounded out the scoring for Hope. Nick Leonard went 9/3 on faceoffs. All of Hope's players had at least one ground ball as the Flying Dutchmen outhustled the Scots 67-17 on gb's for the day.

Hope will now look forward to their first trip to the Central Collegiate Lacrosse Association Division II playoffs in Saline, MI next weekend.

Flying Dutchmen Bow to Ranked Lakers (4/18/09)
The nationally ranked (7) Grand Valley State Lakers (8-2) took it to the Flying Dutchmen (7-2) tonight in a high-scoring game featuring two of the country’s best attackmen. #19 Cameron Holding from GVSU put on a show tallying nine goals and two assists for the Lakers in their 23-13 victory. Hope’s Eric Weber continued his determined play, despite the efforts of the Laker defense, with six goals and seventeen ground balls for the Flying Dutchmen.

LSM Duncan Wierengo had a beautiful goal on a bounce shot after creating a turnover at midfield. Duncan finished the day with eight ground balls. Ron Radcliffe was solid at middie for the Dutchmen scooping up eight gb’s and finishing with two goals.

Dillon Fink had a hat trick, and Allen Campbell had a goal and an assist. Dan Glaser totaled three assists and nine ground balls.

Pieter Norden had eight saves in the first half between the pipes, and Brian Kunkler came in in the second half and stopped the Laker shooters thirteen times. Brent Martin went 15/10 on faceoffs and had seven ground balls for Hope.

Hope will look to regroup before the CCLA playoffs with a home game vs. Alma on Thursday, April 23 @ 6 p.m.

Flying Dutchmen Top Rival Calvin (4/14/09)
The Flying Dutchmen (7-1) scored 11 goals in the second half to capitalize on a 7-6 halftime lead and worked hard for a solid victory over rival Calvin (3-2) on Tuesday night. The Hope/Calvin rivalry is always fiercely contested, and this evening under gray misty skies the visiting Dutchmen outmudded the Knights 71/40 on ground balls. Hope fired 56 shots at Calvin goaltender Dan Tiersma and he kept his team in the game for three periods. In the end the Flying Dutchmen sealed the deal with an 18-8 victory and earned a berth in the CCLA Central Division Playoffs by going 3-1 in divisional play.

Hope’s midfielders stood up to the tough challenge posed by the excellent Knight midfield. Brent Martin had a goal, an assist, eleven ground balls, and twelve faceoff wins to lead the way for Hope. Dan Glaser came up big for the Dutchmen with ten ground balls, a goal and two assists including key ground ball possessions for Hope down the stretch. Ron Radcliffe battled through a sprained ankle to notch a momentum turning assist in the fourth quarter. Ron also had eight ground balls on the day. Dan Burns, Keegan Aguilera, Nick McBride, Brad VandeVusse, and Nick Leonard were all gutty performers in the hard fought contest.

Hope’s defense, under the leadership of Duncan Wierengo and Ryan Holmes, stiffened in the second half only allowing two goals off fifteen shots. Brad Machiela, Nick Zupancich, Noah Busman, and Chris ‘Big Papa’ Wendt were all solid contributors for the relentless Hope D. Pat McElgunn battled through a leg injury to compete. Pat forced a key turnover in the fourth quarter. The goaltending of Pieter Norden and Brian Kunkler was excellent. Norden finished with four saves in the first half, and Kunkler shut the door in the second half with eight saves.

The attack trio of Fink, Campbell & Weber was again outstanding on the evening. Dillon Fink possessed the ball, had eight ground balls, two goals, and three assists. Eric Weber had eighteen ground balls, two assists, and nine goals. Allen Campbell scored the goal of the night on a backhanded shot that hit pipe then goalie and rolled in. Campbell finished with eight ground balls, five goals, two assists, and four faceoff victories.

This was the first game of the year for the Flying Dutchmen where they were the least penalized squad. The disciplined pressure of the Hope ride was key in the second half.

Hope has rattled off seven straight wins and will face a tough test this Saturday at Holland Christian Stadium vs. the nationally ranked (#7) GVSU Lakers. Game time 7 p.m.

Flying Dutchmen Extend Winning Streak
The Flying Dutchmen (6-1) rolled over the visiting Cardinals from Saginaw Valley State 21-5 in the home opener on Wednesday. Eric Weber, honored as the national player of the week earlier this week, led the way for Hope with 19 ground balls, two assists, and another eight-goal performance. Weber scored all his goals in the first half, as the Dutchmen roared out to a 16-1 halftime lead.

Allen Campbell scored four with three assists and Dillon Fink had three with two assists. Dan Glaser tallied his career first hat trick as well as adding two assists. Keegan Aguilera had two and an assist, Dan Burns had a solo goal, and Brad VandeVusse had a solo assist to cap off the totals for Hope. Each member of the team tallied at least one ground ball in the tilt. Hope dominated the ground ball totals 97-44.

Noah Busman had eight ground balls while Duncan Wierengo and Ryan Holmes each had seven to push the transition play from the defensive end of the field. Brent Martin and Nick Leonard shared faceoff responsibilities and together they went 20 for 26 on the day.

Pieter Norden and Brian Kunkler each had two saves per half as the Dutchmen dominated possession and limited the offensive opportunities for the Cardinals.

The Flying Dutchmen will now gear up to play rival Calvin next Tuesday to determine eligibility and seeding for the CCLA tournament.

Hope Player Honored Nationally (4/6/09)
Hope sophomore attackman Eric Weber (Ann Arbor, Mich./Pioneer HS) has been chosen the CollegeLAX national player of the week. Weber is currently leading the nation's MCLA Division 2 teams in scoring and goals per game. This weekend he tied a Hope single game scoring record with 10 goals in a victory over Wheaton. He then had six goals in a win over Dordt. He is averaging over six goals a game and has scored or assisted in over half of Hope's goals this season. The Flying Dutchmen make their home debut Wednesday hosting Saginaw Valley in a 6 p.m. contest at the Buys Athletic Fields.

Flying Dutchmen Go Unbeaten in "Holy Wars" Games (4/4/09)
In the second day of competition at the Wheaton Holy Wars Tournament, the Flying Dutchmen (5-1) bested the Dordt College Sowers 15-4. A close first quarter saw Hope with a 3-2 lead and trying to pick the lock on the Dordt zone defense. Ground balls from each member of the Flying Dutchmen squad allowed for enough possession time on offense for Hope to build an 8-2 lead at half and to run out seven more goals in the second half while only allowing two second half goals for the Sowers.

Nick Zupancich had the play of the day with a takeaway check, ground ball, and on-the-money clearing pass to Dillon Fink in the second half.

Pieter Norden and Brian Kunkler were solid between the pipes for the Dutchmen with 5 and 11 saves respectively.

All three of Hope’s attackmen are in the top ten statistical leaders in the MCLA. Eric Weber, who leads the nation in scoring, had six goals and three assists. Dillon Fink chipped in two goals and three assists, and Allen Campell quarterbacked the offense with 12 points on four goals and eight assists.

Brent Martin dominated at the faceoff by going 16/2 on faceoffs. Nicholas Leonard and Allen Campbell also notched faceoff victories. Keegan Aguilera had his first goal as a Flying Dutchmen, Dan Glaser chipped one in, and Brent Martin had a goal as well. It was another solid performance from Machiela, Wendt, Busman, Holmes, Zupancich & Wierengo on defense.

Hope went 2-0 on the weekend beginning with a key 17-13 victory over host Wheaton on Friday. The Flying Dutchmen have their home opener vs. Saginaw Valley State University Wednesday, April 8 at 6 p.m.

Flying Dutchmen Post Key Conference Win (3/28/09)
Flying Dutchmen (3-1) won a slugfest in Detroit to stay in contention for a berth in the CCLA Tournament. The Wolves of University of Michigan – Dearborn capitalized on a physical style of play and a packed in zone defense to try to limit Hope’s attack opportunities. Hope is averaging over fifteen goals per contest so the strategy worked, but the Dutchmen won the ground ball battle 51 – 37 and possessed the ball in the second half to pull steadily away from the hosts. Hope’s 11-5 victory sets up an opportunity for a bid to the CCLA Championships. The Dutchmen control their own destiny, and with a win at rival Calvin College on April 14 they will enter the playoffs for the first time since joining the conference in 2005.

The Flying Dutchmen will travel to Wheaton College in Illinois next weekend to play two non-conference games vs. Wheaton College and Dordt College in the Holy Wars Tournament.

Key sparks for Hope today came from midfielder Brent Martin who had a hat trick in the first half reeling off three straight goals; goaltenders Pieter Norden and Brian Kunkler who had 10 and 7 saves respectively to shut the door on the Wolves’ shooters; Keegan Aguilera, Dan Glaser, Dillon Fink, and Ryan Holmes all tallied over 7 ground balls a piece; a steady man-down defensive unit that held the Wolves scoreless on man-up opportunities in the second half despite 7:30 total minutes of penalty time; a 5 assist and 1 goal game by Allen Campbell; and 5 goals and an assist by Eric Weber. Brad VandeVusse tallied his first assist on the season and his heady play kept possession for Hope down the stretch. VandeVusse came in at attack from his midfield position to spell each of our three starting attackers who had two penalties a piece for the Flying Dutchmen.

Flying Dutchmen Edge Rival Aquinas (3/25/09)
The Hope Flying Dutchmen (2-1) shook off the rust of spring break to race out to an 8-2 lead at the end of the first quarter, only to see the Saints of Aquinas (2-1) creep back into the contest over the next two quarters by outscoring Hope 7-5. The attack trio of Campbell, Fink & Weber were too much for the hosts down the stretch with Hope tallying a 19-11 victory. Allen Campbell had 2 goals and 5 assists, Dillon Fink had 7 goals and 2 assists, and Eric Weber had 8 goals and 1 assist. Weber led the attack with 14 ground balls.

Leading the midfield was sophomore Brent Martin who won 12 faceoffs and had 7 ground balls along with scoring 2 goals in the fourth quarter. The Dutchmen got solid play from Dan Glaser with 11 ground balls, Keegan Aguilera with 6 ground balls, and Duncan Wierengo with 7 ground balls.

Pieter Norden was excellent in the cage for the Flying Dutchmen. Norden had 18 saves in the second half to thwart the comeback hopes of the Saints. Norden played four quarters of excellent ball and amassed 29 saves on the day. Brad Machiela was the iron man on defense for Hope, playing the entire contest and harassing the attackers from Aquinas relentlessly.

Flying Dutchmen Defeat Rival Calvin (3/10/09)
From start to finish every ground ball was contested in this intense rivalry game. Hope came out on top of the groundball war with 53 total groundballs on the evening to Calvin’s 21. A total team effort is what it takes to win a Hope/Calvin game, and the Flying Dutchmen (1-1) showed that they have what it takes to win with a hard fought 14-6 victory on a windy and damp evening at Holland Christian Stadium.

Midfielder Dan Glaser (Ann Arbor, MI/Lenawee Christian) led the way for the Dutchmen with a goal, 2 assists, and 13 ground balls. Ryan Holmes (Ann Arbor, MI/Pioneer) and Keegan Aguilera (Midland, MI/Midland) had 7 ground balls a piece. Sophomore Brent Martin (Portage, MI/Portage Central) went 19/6 dominating at the faceoff X. Martin also had four ground balls.

Attackman Eric Weber (Ann Arbor, MI/Pioneer) had an inspired performance with 8 goals and 9 ground balls. Attackman Allen Campbell (Holland, MI/Holland) controlled Hope’s offensive sets and tallied 3 goals, 2 assists, and going 2/2 on faceoffs with 6 ground balls. Dillon Fink (University Park, MD/Roosevelt) had 2 goals and an assist, and 4 ground balls.

Pieter Norden (Dublin, OH/Dublin Scioto) started in cage for Hope and had several dramatic saves to preserve Hope’s momentum in the early going. Pieter finished with five saves on the evening. Brian Kunkler (Grand Rapids, MI/Forest Hills Central) shut the door on the Calvin shooters tallying five saves in the second half.

All of Hope’s defenders saw action as they harassed the Calvin attack all evening. This was under difficult circumstances and the intensity of the rivalry showed with 12:30 of penalty minutes called against The Flying Dutchmen. McElgunn, Wendt, Zupancich, Busman, Holmes, Machiela, & Wierengo all played well in the victory.

Hope will relax with spring break coming up, and then look to gather themselves for two conference games the week they return from break. Aquinas College and UofM-Dearborn await the Dutchmen when they return.

Flying Dutchmen Lose Season Opener (3/7/09)
The Flying Dutchmen opened up their season by falling 17-13 to CCLA DII Central conference rival Oakland University on a cold and rainy day in Auburn Hills. The Flying Dutchmen (O-1) showed bursts of energy racing out to a 5-2 lead in the first quarter only to fall behind 8-5 at half after a scoreless second quarter, and rallying with eight goals in the second half, but they fell short in their comeback attempt and could not stop the Grizzlies from getting ground balls and protecting their lead.

Sophomore attackman Allen Campbell (Holland/Holland) led the team with nine ground balls, six face-off wins, four assists and a hat trick (3 goals). Dillon Fink (University Park, MD/Roosevelt), a sophomore transfer from Delaware, made an impressive debut for the Dutchmen with six goals and two assists; and returning sophomore attackman Eric Weber (Ann Arbor/Pioneer) chipped in four goals.

Senior Captain Dan Burns (Wheaton, IL/Wheaton Warrenville South) led the way in ground balls (7) and penalty minutes (2:30) at the midfield. Sophomore Brent Martin (Kalamazoo/Portage Central) had three ground balls, five face-off wins, and an assist for Hope. Freshman Keegan Aguilera (Midland/Midland) had an assist, two ground balls, and four clears; and sophomore Dan Glaser (Ann Arbor/Lenawee Christian) had an assist, three ground balls, and four clears.

Brad Machiela (Zeeland/Zeeland East) and Pat McElgunn (Midland/Midland) anchored the Dutchmen defense with four ground balls a piece.

Pieter Norden (Dublin, OH/Dublin Scioto) and Brian Kunkler (Grand Rapids, MI/Forest Hills Central) split time in the cage for Hope. Norden finished with nine saves, and Kunkler had eleven in his debut for the Dutchmen.