Men’s soccer team blanks MIAA rival Albion, 1-0

ALBION, Mich. -- The Olivet College men's soccer team shut out Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) rival Albion College, 1-0, today at Alumni Field in Albion. Combined with Calvin's 1-0 loss to Hope, the Comets move into sole possession of third-place in the MIAA standings with a 5-3-1 record and 16 points. Kalamazoo is first with 18 points, followed by Adrian with 17. Behind Olivet are Calvin and Hope with 15 points each.

The Comets controlled possession in the first half, as they out-shot the Britons 11-3. Olivet dented the scoreboard with its goal with just 4:40 left before halftime. Sophomore Matt Garza (Saline) scored his fourth goal of the season off a double assist from freshmen David Bahling (Farmington) and Daniel Hampsten (Plainwell) each earned an assist. In the second half, the Britons won the shot battle 7-3.

For the game, the Comets had a 14-10 advantage in shots; however, each team placed four on goal. Garza led the way with four shots, while freshman Alex Alvarez (Eastpointe/East Detroit) had three. Hampsten and freshman Fred Smyser (Grand Rapids/Forest Hills Eastern) took two shots apiece. In goal, senior Ethan Felsing (Mason) recorded his eighth shutout of the season and 23rd of his career. He only needed to make three saves, all in the second half.

"I thought it was a great team effort on both sides of ball," said Olivet Head Coach Chad Wiseman. "We got back to what we do best and that is defend the ball. Our guys also came off the bench and gave us a spark. Garza stepped up and caused problems for Albion throughout the game. If we are going to continue to have success this season, Matt is going to need to be a huge part of it. Now we need to turn our attention to Saturday's game against Alma, who beat Kalamazoo, 2-1, today."

Saturday's game at Alma gets under way at 2:30 p.m.