Skip To Main Content
Skip To Main Content

Hope College

Scoreboard

#BeStrongBeTrue
Jack Balmforth holds a goalie stick
Pictured, Jack Balmforth
6
Wooster WOOSTER 4-2, 0-0
14
Winner Hope HOPE 4-0, 0-0
Wooster WOOSTER
4-2, 0-0
6
Final
14
Hope HOPE
4-0, 0-0
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 F
Wooster WOOSTER 3 1 1 1 6
Hope HOPE 4 4 0 6 14

Game Recap: Men's Lacrosse | | Greg Chandler

"Tough" Men's Lacrosse Beats Wooster for Second Victory in Two Days

With about five minutes remaining in the third quarter of Saturday's game at Van Andel Soccer Stadium, the Hope College men's lacrosse team found itself playing three players short after a series of penalties against them within a span of 20 seconds.

The Flying Dutchmen led the College of Wooster (Ohio) 8-5 at the time, but this was a golden opportunity for the Fighting Scots to pull closer. However, Hope limited the Fighting Scots to two shots, one of which was saved by senior goalkeeper Jack Balmforth (Livonia, Michigan/Detroit Catholic Central), during the two-minute shorthanded situation.

That would turn out to be the turning point in the game. The Flying Dutchmen then unleashed a six-goal explosion in the fourth quarter to seal a 14-6 win over Wooster (4-1) for their fourth win without a loss to start the season and second in two days. Hope beat Carthage College, 15-3, on Friday.

"There was a penalty that was a non-releasable [penalty called against Hope] because it was contact to the head – direct contact to the head," head coach Michael Schanhals said. "We managed to scrap out some possessions and held onto the ball and ran some of the clock [off]. It was great. "We had to be tough. We were tough, led by our defense, possessing the ball, being smart, trying to help our defense out as much as we could. Our guys absolutely competed for ground balls all over the field today, and that was the key."

Junior attacker Gibson Heethuis (Hudsonville, Michigan/Hudsonville) ignited the six-goal fourth quarter outburst with a tally three minutes into the quarter. A penalty was called on Wooster at the same time as Heethuis' goal, putting Hope in a man-up situation. Thirty-six seconds later, the Flying Dutchmen capitalized on the extra man as sophomore attacker Preston Hoexum (Ada, Michigan/Forest Hills Northern) scored to extend the lead to 10-5.

Hoexum finished the game with five goals and an assist, while Heethuis added four goals and assisted on two others.

Balmforth made 10 saves in the cage for Hope. The Flying Dutchmen held Wooster to just two goals over the last 42 minutes of the game.

"It was an unbelievable defensive effort, led by our goalie, Jack Balmforth. He just stepped up big time today (and) made some huge saves," Schanhals said.

Hope outshot Wooster 43-35 and collected 45 ground balls to 33 for the Fighting Scots. Hope caused 18 turnovers, compared to 11 for Wooster.

Freshman midfielder Jackson Arnold (Ada, Michigan/Forest Hills Eastern) scored two goals for Hope, while sophomore attacker Jack Zuiderveen (Hudsonville, Michigan) contributed three assists.

Senior midfielder Jackson Early (East Lansing, Michigan/East Lansing) won 16 of 19 faceoffs and scooped up nine ground balls to lead the Dutchmen in that category.

Sophomore long-stick midfielder Tyler Berens (West Olive, Michigan/West Ottawa) caused five Wooster turnovers and senior defender John Foster (Ada, Michigan/Forest Hills Central) caused four.

Hope returns to action Wednesday, March 11, at 7 p.m. for a nonconference game against the Illinois Institute of Technology at Van Andel Soccer Stadium.
Print Friendly Version