GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – Conference championships are won inside the WHAC, and with a 2-0 start in the league, Aquinas has put itself exactly where it wanted to be through the opening week of conference play.
Saturday offered something different.
A short trip across Grand Rapids to face Calvin gave Coach Luke Ruff and the Saints a chance to step outside the WHAC, challenge themselves against a quality local opponent and, perhaps most importantly, get an honest look at where this team stands. Ninety minutes against the Knights showed areas where the Saints are doing things well, areas that still need to be refined and plenty they can take back with them when the focus returns to their primary mission — the WHAC.
Calvin 5, Aquinas 2
Calvin struck first in the 18th minute before Aquinas began generating chances of its own, including opportunities from Adam Flanders and Trae Collins.
The Knights doubled their advantage at 31:32, but the Saints needed less than 10 minutes to answer.
Evan Goodfellow cut the deficit in half at 41:16, finding the back of the net for an unassisted goal that sent Aquinas into halftime trailing 2-1.
The Saints finished the opening 45 minutes with eight shots compared to Calvin's three, an encouraging response after falling behind by a pair of goals.
Ivan Radovic made the start in goal and recorded one save during the opening half before Dario Cela took over between the posts after halftime.
Calvin increased the pressure immediately, but Cela stopped Chase Alexandre in the 53rd minute and Will Lanham less than two minutes later to keep Aquinas within striking distance.
The Knights finally broke through in the 61st minute when Pol Sabe scored off an assist from Jake Ziolo to make it 3-1.
Once again, Aquinas answered.
Flanders, one of AQ's most active attacking players throughout the afternoon, pulled the Saints back within a goal at 71:47.
Chase Gries set up the play, and Flanders finished to make it 3-2 with more than 18 minutes remaining.
The Saints had turned what could have become a runaway into a one-goal match for the second time.
Cela helped keep it there with another save on Hans Prius in the 73rd minute and later denied Will Hornbaker in the 77th.
Calvin finally created the separation it needed when Zach Heisler scored at 77:12, pushing the Knights' advantage back to two.
Chase Alexandre added the final goal in the 86th minute as Calvin closed out the 5-2 decision.
Flanders paced the Aquinas attack with five shots and three on goal, while Goodfellow finished with two shots, both on frame, and a goal.
Joseph Farhat, Collins, Maurice Chandler and Logan McClure also generated attempts for the Saints, with Gries collecting AQ's lone assist.
Ruff was also able to use 19 players in the non-conference contest, with Brian Mosqueda, Emmanuel Bedolla, Jareth Balcaraz-Alvarado, Ignacio Creamer and Miguel Gonzalez among those seeing action off the Aquinas bench.
Cela finished with five second-half saves, while the Saints' goalkeepers combined for six stops.
Aquinas generated 12 shots and put six on frame, but Calvin's second-half pressure ultimately proved decisive as 14 of the Knights' 17 shots came over the final 45 minutes.
The result moves Aquinas to 4-5 overall while remaining 2-0 in the WHAC, while Calvin improves to 6-1-1.
Saints Snapshots
- A Measuring Stick in Grand Rapids: With the Saints' WHAC start safely intact, Saturday provided AQ an opportunity to test itself against another quality opponent and identify both progress and areas that need attention.
- The Saints Answered the Bell: Twice Calvin pushed its advantage to two goals. Twice Aquinas responded, with Goodfellow answering before halftime and Flanders making it a one-goal match again in the second half.
- Still Within Reach: Flanders' strike in the 72nd minute changed the feel of the afternoon. What had been a 3-1 Calvin advantage was suddenly 3-2 with more than 18 minutes remaining and AQ very much alive.
- Second Half Swings Toward Calvin: Aquinas controlled much of the attacking play in the opening half, but Calvin flipped the field after halftime and eventually turned sustained pressure into the separation it needed.
- WHAC Mission Remains Unchanged: Saturday goes into the overall record, but it doesn't touch AQ's 2-0 conference start. The Saints leave Calvin with film to study, lessons to apply and everything they want from the WHAC season still directly in front of them.
Coach's Comments
Following the contest, Coach Luke Ruff spoke about what the Saints can take from Saturday while keeping the focus on the WHAC and the path Aquinas hopes will ultimately lead to the NAIA National Tournament.
"We scheduled this game because we knew Calvin would challenge us, and I think today showed us some things we're doing really well and some areas where we still need to get better. I liked the way our guys responded. We were down two goals twice and battled our way back into a one-goal game both times, but against a quality opponent, there are moments you have to manage better. That's what we'll take from today. Our guys know what our goals are and they know our path to the national tournament runs through the WHAC. We're 2-0 there, we have a week to work, and now it's about taking what we learned today and becoming a better team because of it."
Up Next
Aquinas will have the week to prepare before returning to action Friday for another non-conference matchup against Alma. The Saints then quickly turn their attention back to WHAC play Saturday when they host Defiance on Senior Night at the Aquinas Athletic Field.
Saturday's match will be streamed live on the AQSaints YouTube Network, with Nate Wangler on the call.
Be sure to visit AQSaints.com for live statistics, streaming links and complete postgame coverage of Aquinas men's soccer and all other Saints sports.
It's a great day to be a Saint.
