-- Story provided by Calvin University Athletics --
CHICAGO, Il. – The Calvin men's soccer season came to an end Friday night in the Round of 16 of the NCAA III Tournament as the Knights suffered a 1-0 defeat to the the University of Chicago.
Calvin had a handful of quality scoring chances in the match but Chicago (15-5-1) scored the only goal of the game, converting a volley on the edge of the six-yard box in the 60th minute to provide the winning margin.
Calvin concludes its season with an overall record of 17-4-2 along with an advancement to the Round of 16 for the sixth consecutive NCAA III Tournament.
Playing near the shores of Lake Michigan on a wind-swept Amos Alonzon Stagg Field, Calvin nearly took a 1-0 lead of its own with a ball that deflected off a Chicago defender and bounced just wide of the near post for what would have been an "own goal" in the 10th minute of play.
A few minutes later, Calvin junior striker Seamus Kilgallon (Pleasant Plains, Il./Wheaton Academy) got loose in the box but his shot on goal was thwarted by a last-minute tackle by a Chicago defender.
Calvin junior Chris Schau (Grand Rapids, Mich./Grand Rapids Christian HS) had several strong runs through the right wing in the opening half that created scoring opportunities for the Knights but the game remained scoreless at the break.
Chicago (15-5-1) opened the second half on the front foot and broke through for the winning goal on a long chip into the box that was collected by sophomore Robbie Pino. Pino was able to juggle the ball out of the air and smash a volley inside the far post to give the Maroons a 1-0 advantage.
Calvin pressed for the equalizer but was unable to come up with a final finishing touch. Senior Sam Twigg (Auckland, New Zealand HS) nearly leveled the match in the 68th minute with a blast from 30 yards out the skipped off the top of the crossbar and out of play.
Twigg came close again in the 77th minute when his header off a serve into the box was saved by Chicago keeper Will Boyes. With 10 minutes left in regulation, junior Aguma Muhumuza (Baton Rouge, La./Dunham School) came close, nearly redirecting a chip into the box with the service just bouncing past his reach and into the hands of Boyes.
Chicago held Calvin without a shot inside the final 10 minutes of play to seal the win.
Chicago finished with a 12-6 shots at goal advantage. Boyes had four saves for Chicago while junior Daniel Wunder (Grand Rapids, Mich./Grand Rapids Christian HS) had four saves in goal for the Knights.
COACHES COMMENT: "Objectively that was a really great Division III soccer game," said Calvin head men's soccer coach Ryan Souders. "Chicago is really good and congrats to them on the win and advancing. Credit our team for creating chances and fighting to the end. I'm proud of our guys today. They fought hard. It just didn't go our way in the end."
