Men’s soccer team shuts out Hanover, 3-0

OLIVET, Mich. – The Olivet College men's soccer team shutout Hanover (Ind.) College, 3-0, today to win the championship of the 2012 Alma-Olivet Classic at the Cutler Athletic Complex. With the win, the Comets improve their overall record to 6-0-1.

Olivet wasted no time taking a 1-0 lead in the sixth minute. Freshman Kyle Cupp (Otsego) headed the ball into the net off a corner kick by junior Fred Smyser (Grand Rapids/Forest Hills Eastern). With little more than seven minutes left in the first half, Cupp scored on another header off a long throw in by senior Cole Dehen (Kentwood/East Kentwood).

The score stayed 2-0 until the 11th minute of the second half. Sophomore Jon Puente (Kalamazoo/Galesburg Augusta) passed the ball to the feet of sophomore Esteban Russell (DeWitt), who fired a shot into the goal from 12 yards out. Overall in the game, 27 Comets saw playing time.

Olivet out-shot the Panthers, 29-5, including an 11-2 edge in shots-on-goal. The Comets also finished with 12 corner kicks to zero for Hanover. Russell topped the team with five shots, while Cupp had four, and Smyser and freshman Austin Dunn (Perry) each had three. Sophomore Alex Lang (West Bloomfield/Detroit Catholic Central) provided the clean sheet in net for his first shutout of the season and seventh of his career.

Olivet will now resume its Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) schedule this week with a pair of road games. On Tuesday, the Comets travel to play rival Albion College at 4 p.m., and on Saturday night, they are at Hope College for a night game, starting at 7 p.m.