It’s such a big weekend, we’re going to do the preview in two parts. Today, we’ll look at the Friday games, and tomorrow we’ll preview Saturday’s contests.

Men’s Soccer at Johns Hopkins (Friday, 7:00)

Two of the powerhouse programs in the Centennial Conference meet in what is always an important match. In the first 18 years of the CC’s existence, Hopkins had the best record (128-23-11), and Muhlenberg was second (116-34-12). The two schools combined for 13 of the CC’s first 18 championships. Both teams won their CC opener, Hopkins (3-2-2 overall) at Haverford and Muhlenberg (5-0) vs. McDaniel.

In the D3soccer.com poll, Muhlenberg is ranked ninth and Johns Hopkins is receiving votes. The NSCAA has the Blue Jays ranked 10th in the Mid-Atlantic Region, while the Mules are third in the region and 19th nationally.

Johns Hopkins holds a 14-9-4 series lead, but that only tells part of the story. Muhlenberg has never beaten Johns Hopkins at Homewood Field; in fact, the Mules haven’t scored a goal in their last four trips there. Four of the last six meetings in Baltimore ended in scoreless draws.

Muhlenberg is 5-0 for the first time since 2005, and that was also the last year the Mules defeated Johns Hopkins.

Live video: http://www.hopkinssports.com/allaccess/?media=256690

Live stats: http://www.hopkinssports.com/sports/m-soccer/sched/jhop-m-soccer-sched.html and click on Gametracker

Field Hockey at Johns Hopkins (Friday, 4:00)

Johns Hopkins is ranked 20th in Division III with a 4-2 record, and Muhlenberg is 1-5. But don’t let those numbers fool you – this is usually an intense, closely fought game. The Mules defeated the Blue Jays in overtime in 2008 and 2009 – both times when Hopkins was ranked in the top 10 in Division III. Last year, Muhlenberg played one of its best games against Johns Hopkins, losing 2-1 in the fourth straight one-goal games between the two teams.

Live stats: http://www.hopkinssports.com/sports/w-fieldh/sched/jhop-w-fieldh-sched.html and click on Gametracker