GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. -- After seeing its five-game winning streak come to a halt last time out, the Albion College men's soccer team got back to form on Tuesday evening with a thrilling 4-3 come-from-behind victory against the Knights of Calvin University.
With the win, Albion (11-2-1) improved to 4-1-0 in MIAA play and took over sole possession of second place on the conference leaderboard. Calvin (11-3-1) moved to 3-1-1 in conference action.
The Knights, who entered the evening ranked fourth in Region VIII in the latest edition of United Soccer Coaches regional rankings, struck early at their home field, as Matt Torrell netted the game's opener just 2:45 into the contest.
The Britons searched for a response for the remainder of the first half and finally found their answer coming out of the halftime break. Just 1:22 into the half,
Robin Ruigendijk sent a low cross back into the penalty area and
Ivan Murillo bagged his fifth goal of the campaign to tie the score at 1-1.
With the game even once again, Calvin responded five minutes later, as Torrell struck this time from the penalty spot, to push the Knights ahead.
Albion was undeterred, however, and found an equalizer once again in the 62nd minute. Ruigendijk started the scoring play once again with a looping ball into the box from a corner kick that found its way to classmate
Joshua Jasinkiewicz. The Livonia, Michigan, native made no mistake, with a one-timed effort into the upper right corner to bring the game level at 2-2.
Sensing a momentum shift, the Britons pounced again just 2:06 later. Murillo ran ahead of
Xavier Yuille, who played a leading pass into Calvin's 18-yard box for the sophomore. Murillo tucked a right-footed effort just inside the post to make it a 3-2 contest.
The Brits were not done, however, as Gabe Priestly doubled Albion's lead in the 77th minute. After Tristan Spettel forced a save from Calvin's Zac Moore, the ball trickled out to Priestly, who sent the ball into the back of the net for the first goal of his career.
With a two goal advantage, Albion continued to scrap with the regional powerhouse Knights for the remainder of the tilt. Calvin pulled one goal back in the 84th minute off a corner kick routine, but
Tom Veresh stood tall with a save just minutes later to seal the win for the Britons.
Albion ended the contest with a 16-12 advantage in shots. Veresh made a game-high four saves in net. Ruigendijk's pair of assists brought his league-leading total to nine on the season.
Up Next
Albion returns home on Saturday, October 25, to host The University of Olivet in its penultimate game of the regular season. Kickoff is set for noon.
