HOLLAND, Mich. - The Kalamazoo College women's soccer team faced Hope in the first round of the MIAA Tournament. After the game went into double overtime with a scoreless regulation, the Hornets' season ended with a Flying Dutch goal in the 94th minute for the 1-0 win.
"I am beyond proud of how the group acquitted themselves today," said Head Coach Bryan Goyings. "Playing on the road against a sold Hope team, I thought we displayed tremendous fight as a team for the entire 110 minutes today."
The Hornet defense was under attack all night as Hope put up 23 shots in the first 90 minutes of the ball game. However, Lexi Nesbitt was a rock in the net, making all 17 saves needed to force overtime. Kalamazoo shot the ball 10 times in regulation, with six being on frame. Unfortunately, none resulted in a goal as the Hornets and Flying Dutch went into overtime. This would be the first time either team would play the extra period all season, as there was no overtime across the NCAA during the regular season.
"I thought the result could have gone either way as both teams hit shots off the post and crossbar in regulation," continued Coach Goyings. "Maddie Coffman was unlucky not to get a goal there in the final minute of the second half."
The teams would play out both 10-minute overtime periods instead of ending with a golden goal. Hope scored the only goal of the game in the first overtime period during the 94th minute. Kalamazoo did not have many chances after that, as the Flying Dutch defense packed in some extra players to defend the goal. The unassisted goal was the difference and ultimately ended the Hornets' season.
Coach Goyings said, "We really had nothing left in the tank as the final whistle blew, and that is all you can ask for as a coach."
Nesbitt had the game of a lifetime in the net, finishing with a career-high 20 saves on 21 opportunities. She crushed a 10-year record for saves in a single match during the MIAA Tournament. Chayna Wallace of Adrian had 14 against Calvin in 2012, and Nesbitt topped the record by six.
Hope finished with more shots (28-11) and corner kicks (3-1), while Kalamazoo had more saves (20-6) and fouls (18-6).
"I want to thank our seniors: Lexi Nesbitt, Alexis Petty, and Hannah Durant. They were great leaders for us this year and are three extraordinary people. I am so grateful that I had the privilege to work with them for the past four years. The loss today really hurts because we don't get another game with them," said Coach Goyings.
The Hornets ended their 2022 season with a record of 6-7-3 (3-4-1 MIAA) and took sixth in the conference.