Sports Information Department – 112 Dods Hall
Phone (716) 673-3100 / Fax (716) 673-3136

CONTACT: Jerry Reilly,
Sports Information Director

DATE: Wed., Nov. 16, 2005

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Men's soccer

Calvin's quick-striking offense keyed upset of OWU

FREDONIA, N.Y. -- Of all the NCAA Division III games played last weekend, Kurt Visker of Calvin College may have had the top performance.

Visker scored two goals in the second half to lift his team over No. 2 ranked and previously unbeaten Ohio Wesleyan, 2-1, last Saturday at Delaware, Ohio.

The win advanced the Knights (17-4-1) to round of 16 and a Friday afternoon sectional semifinal vs. Fredonia State at Grand Rapids, Mich.

Stopping Visker and his high-scoring teammates will be on the minds of the Blue Devils (17-3-3), who have yielded just 11 goals all season.

Conversely, the Knights have scored 61 goals, led by Jared Litty's 14 and Visker's 10. Nick Capisciolto and Levi Kool are Calvin's top play-makers with 17 and 11 assists, respectively. Capisciolto leads the team with 35 points.

"Calvin (is) very big and athletic so we have some similarities in that sense," Fredonia State head coach P.J. Gondek said. "Their win over Ohio Wesleyan was impressive and shows what they are capable of."

Junior forward Matt Mahaffey (Lakeview/Frontier) is the leader in goals (8) and points (18) of a balanced Blue Devil offense. Eighteen players have at least one goal and 13 have at least one assist.

The story of the Fredonia State season, however, is still its defense. The team has posted 18 shutouts, 15 solos by senior goalkeeper Matt Borchard (Williamsville/Williamsville South). Borchard has a goals-against average of 0.47 and a save percentage of .893.

In their last nine games, the Blue Devils have eight shutouts and have allowed only one goal during what Gondek called "the run of play", that by Carnegie Mellon in the first round of the NCAA Tournament last Friday. Carnegie Mellon also had two others goals, but they came on penalty kicks.

"To date, Gondek said, "we have been able to compete with every team we have faced and when you compete you have a chance to win."

Calvin's goalkeepers have combined for eight shutouts, six by Joe Westra, who's posted a goals-against average of 0.80 with a .797 save percentage. The Knights have allowed 18 goals overall.

The Knights and Blue Devils have played one common opponent: John Carroll. Calvin emerged with a 2-1 win over JCU at Grand Rapids on Sept. 9. Fredonia State defeated the Blue Streaks twice by 1-0 scores, Sept. 24 at Fredonia and last Sunday at University Heights, Ohio, in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

In the other sectional semifinal at Grand Rapids, Loras College meets Gustavus Adolphus College at 11 a.m. Friday (the Fredonia State-Calvin game will follow 30 minutes later, but no earlier than 1 p.m.).

The weather forecast for Grand Rapids calls for afternoon snow showers Friday with highs in the mid 30s and lows in the upper 20s, and rain and snow showers Saturday with highs in the low 40s and lows in the low 30s.

The sectional final is scheduled for 1 p.m. Saturday.

Athletics Home | Fredonia Home