The Kalamazoo College men's soccer team will be seeking its first MIAA Tournament championship when it hosts the Trine University Thunder on Saturday at MacKenzie Field. The No. 2 seeded Hornets game against the No. 4 seeded Thunder will begin at 7 p.m. Saturday.
Tickets
Please visit the following website to purchase tickets as cash will not be accepted at the gate. https://www.miaa.org/landing/tickets
$7 – Adult General Admission
$5 - MIAA Faculty/Staff – General Admission
$5 – Non-MIAA Students – General Admission
Free – MIAA Students with student ID – General Admission
Free – Children under five – General Admission
Previous matchup
The Hornets defeated Trine 5-1 at MacKenzie Field on October 16 on Homecoming weekend.
Scouting Trine
Trine started out the tournament by defeating No. 5 seed Albion 4-0 on Oct. 30. They then went on the road and chopped down the No. 1 seed Calvin 1-0 in overtime Wednesday night, their fifth win in a row since the loss in Kalamazoo. With that kind of momentum going, it's doubtful they are feeling intimidated about the prospect of having to get on the bus and head back to Kalamazoo for the championship game.
Tyler Murphy is a dynamic scoring threat for the Thunder (11-7-1, 4-2-1 MIAA). The sophomore from Greenfield (Ind.) was honored as a member of the All-MIAA first team for finishing the regular season tied for first in goals (16) and second in points (35). He then scored the game-winning goal in overtime in the upset of Calvin.
Five Trine players tied for second on the team with three goals on the season, while Francesco Mazzei's nine points ranked second to Murphy. Sophomore Troy Saylor played almost three-times as many minutes in goal as junior Luis Rodriguez and sported a 5-5-1 record with four shutouts. He did record the loss in the previous meeting with Kalamazoo this season.
Scouting the Hornets
In Emilio Romo, Kalamazoo (11-3-3, 5-1-1 MIAA) boasts one of the few players in the league that can be mentioned in the same breath with Murphy in terms of goal scoring. Romo's ten goals were a team-high and good for third in the league. Kalamazoo does sport a balanced attack, with Alex Wallace (five goals, 12 points), Aidan Gillig (five goals, 11 points), and Chad Ewing (three goals, nine points) all offensive threats.
The defense, led by four-time All-MIAA selection defender Mikey Schwartz, will likely be the key to the Hornets taking the trophy. Along with fellow All-MIAA honorees Colin Halloran and Shun Yonehara, keeper Gavin Houtkooper will have to be at the top of his game. The freshman from Battle Creek (Delton-Kellogg HS) was named MIAA Newcomer of the Year this season in addition to making the All-MIAA second-team.
The 5-1 domination of the Thunder was just three weeks ago but shouldn't give the Hornets a false sense of security. Trine has outscored its opponents 14-3 in the five games since and should be brimming with confidence. With an automatic spot in the Division III NCAA Tournament on the line, it should be an exciting game Saturday night.