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  Historic Moments and Notable Performances

Updated thru the 2012 season


The Game-Winner - NCAA 2011 Regional Finals
Hope 2, Dominican 1 on Corner Kick in Closing Seconds

Photo courtesy Patti Groetsema

  • Men's soccer made its Hope debut in 1963. Over the past five decades the program has grown in stature among NCAA Division III programs, winning in recent years at a 75% clip.
  • Hope and rival Calvin were co-champions in the MIAA's first season (1970). Forty years later (2010), the teams were again MIAA co-champions. The two rivals have been MIAA co-champions three times (1970-2003-2010).

  • The Flying Dutchmen have won the MIAA championship five of the last ten seasons (2002 thru 2011). Hope's league record during that span is an outstanding 105-21-10.

  • In 2007 Dan Tresslar became the third Hope player to receive the MIAA's most valuable player award in back-to-back years. He joined Glenn Swier (1974 & 1975) and Kevin Benham (1984 & 1985). Hope's All-time MIAA MVPs.

  • Coach Steve Smith is among the winningest active Division III coaches. Averaging 13 victories a season, coach Smith ranked 15th nationally among all active NCAA Division III coaches by winning percentage entering the 2011 season. He also ranked in the top twenty among the winningest all-time Division III coaches by percentage (15th). MIAA history was made when his teams strung together three consecutive MIAA championship seasons (1994-1996). Smith has guided the Flying Dutchmen to nine conference championships since becoming head coach in 1990.
  • Hope has been blessed with an abundance of All-America goalkeepers, beginning with Lee Schopp '93 as a junior and senior. Aaron Angeli '96 was honored his senior year and Marcus Voss '03 as both a junior and senior. Yet another goalkeeper, Al Crothers '84, was a four-time All-MIAA honoree. Hope All-time All-Americans
  • Outstanding among Hope's appearances in the NCAA Division III playoffs was the 1994 team which advanced to the quarterfinals before being eliminated in a shootout. That MIAA championship team allowed only 11 goals in 21 games. The 2002 league champions held three NCAA opponents without a goal.
  • The Flying Dutchmen made their debut in the state-of-the-art Van Andel Soccer Stadium during the 2009 season. The Flying Dutchmen posted a 5-1-1 record in their inaugural season. In six of those games, four ended in a 1-0 score (3-1), one at 1-1 and the other a 6-0 Hope win.

  • When junior goalkeeper Logan Neil was voted the MIAA's most valuable player in 2010, he set a first for Hope athletics. His father, Matt Neil, was the MIAA's most valuable basketball player in 1982. It marked the first time a Hope father-son duo have been honored in this way by the MIAA.

  • Hope made it deepest run into the NCAA Division III championships in 2011 and was rewarded with the highest national ranking in the program's history. The Flying Dutchmen were ranked ninth in the final national poll of the National Soccer Coaches Association of America. It was Hope's first top ten ranking. Hope advanced to the elite eight in the NCAA Division III tournament before bowing to eventual national champion Ohio Wesleyan 2-1. The Flying Dutchmen tied a school record for victories in a season posting a 17-5-4 record.