Losing to a rival is always tough, but losing in the finals seconds is a crushing blow.
The Hope College men's soccer team saw that happen when rival Calvin scored a goal in the final second of regulation to beat Hope 3-2 on Friday, Oct. 16, at Van Andel Soccer Stadium in Holland.
Junior Jake Ziolo's bending, left-footed shot from the right wing curled over the outstretched arms of Hope goalkeeper Cooper Hutt and into the back of the net as time expired.
Ziolo's goal completed a frantic Calvin comeback that saw the Knights (11-1-2) score two goals in the final 8:08 of regulation.
More: How Hope's Kamryn Burbridge returned from Italy to become one of nation's top hitters
Senior Zac Brooks tied the game at two, blasting in a rebound off a shot by senior Hans Pruis that had been saved by Hutt but fell on one hop to Brooks.
The goal was given immediately by the lead referee. A short post-match conference with the two assistant referees ensued. After a short discussion, the initial call was upheld and the Knights gained the dramatic rivalry win.
"I just saw Hans (Pruis) pick up the ball and I was coming through on the overlap," Ziolo told Calvin sports communication. "I knew there was very little time (left) and I just tried to get something on target and it ended up working. Super exciting, but honestly, I'm Just happy for the win. We got down a goal and had to find a way back. We worked together as a team and got the result. That's what I'm most happy about."
Hope (8-2-3 overall, 1-1-2 MIAA) came out firing in the second half. With the wind at its back, Hope began to send shots at goal and won a corner off a Calvin deflection in the 51st minute. Hope then equalized on the corner as Rory Cobb sent a ball to the far post that Jack Lowman was able to head in amidst a scrum of players battling for position.
Hope then won a free kick along the right wing in the 69th minute and used the set piece to take the lead. Lowman lofted the free kick to the left side of the six-yard box. Caden Chenlo was able to head the ball to the right and Josh Weigel followed with a header to the far corner of the net for a 2-1 Hope lead.
That lead to the sensational comeback by the Knights.
Contact sports editor Dan D’Addona at Dan.D’Addona@hollandsentinel.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter @DanDAddona or Facebook @HollandSentinelSports.
This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: Calvin men's soccer stuns Hope with goal in final second of epic rivalry showdown