HOLLAND, Mich. – The Trine University men's soccer team netted a beautiful equalizer late in the match, but ultimately fell 3-1 in their final contest of the season against the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) regular season champions from Hope College.
The Thunder played strong defense during the first half, keeping the Flying Dutch scoreless into the intermission. The effort came at the expense of the offense with the home team winning the shots competition 7-2 overall and 3-1 on goal.
Hope broke the stalemate in the 20th minute of the second period, and it looked like that might be the end of the scoring. Neither team had much of a chance for the next ten minutes.
In 77th minute, the Thunder had back-to-back throw ins in the offensive half of the field. Brayden Macy took both and landed the second in the top near side of the penalty area. After one bounce Ben Borak was able to collect the ball and settle it to the ground. Almost before it was completely off of Borak's foot, Ryan Cote fired a screaming shot that curved into the very top left corner of the goal.
The 1-1 score held until the final five minutes of the contest. It was then that the Flying Dutch caused two turnovers in the Thunder defensive zone approximately two minutes apart. Both ended in long distance shots that found the back of the net, building the final 3-1 lead.
The victory secures the regular season championship for Hope and ends the season for the Thunder. Trine finishes the season with a 1-12-3 overall record having gone 0-5-2 in MIAA play.
