The second weekend of the 2012-13 athletic year features a volleyball tournament, a throwback soccer rematch, two spring teams opening up competition … and the football home opener with a coach going for a major milestone.
Football vs. Franklin & Marshall (Saturday, 1:00)
It’s the home opener for Muhlenberg and the Centennial Conference opener for both teams. The CC promises to be especially competitive this year after going 7-3 in non-conference games last week. Included in that record are the Mules’ 27-7 win at The Apprentice School and the Diplomats’ last-second 35-28 win against a Washington and Lee team that was 8-2 last year.
The defenses will be on alert to stop three hot quarterbacks. F&M’s E.J. Schneider was named CC player of the week after throwing for 270 yards and rushing for 110, while Muhlenberg QBs Dan Deighan and Joe Carlucci combined to pass for 337 yards.
F&M leads the all-time series, 52-42-1, although the Mules won last year’s matchup, 34-13.
Mule head coach Mike Donnelly enters the game with a career record of 99-61 and goes for his 100th win against John Troxell, who was his assistant at Muhlenberg for four years before taking the head reins at F&M.
live stats: www.muhlenberg.edu/sports/livestats/xlive.htm
live video: www.livestream.com/muhlenberg
Volleyball hosts Buttermaker Tournament (Friday vs. Centenary, 3:00; vs. King’s, 7:00; Saturday opponents TBD, 10:00 and 2:00)
Coming off its rousing five-set win against DeSales on Wednesday, Muhlenberg hosts the 15th Buttermaker Tournament. The Mules (4-1) are seeking their first title since 2005. This year’s nine-team field includes defending champion Moravian as well as Salisbury, a team that went 32-4 last year and is currently receiving votes in the AVCA Division III poll.
live stats (first three Muhlenberg matches): www.muhlenberg.edu/sports/vblive/topview.htm
live video (first three Muhlenberg matches): www.livestream.com/muhlenberg
tournament page: www.muhlenberg.edu/main/athletics/buttermaker/index.html
Men’s Soccer at Ithaca (Saturday, 1:00)
One of the biggest wins in program history came in 1995, when the Mules beat Ithaca 4-0 in an NCAA quarterfinal game at Varsity Field to advance to the “Final Four.” Nothing of the sort is at stake here, although Muhlenberg (2-0) is ranked 11th in Division III. Ithaca is 1-1-1.
live stats: http://www.sidearmstats.com/ithaca/msoc/scoreboard.aspx
Women’s Soccer at Delaware Valley (Saturday, 12:00); at Gwynedd-Mercy (Saturday, 12:00)
The Mules (1-1-1) play a pair of games in the Philadelphia area this weekend. They played the same two teams back-to-back last year, winning both games by three goals.
live stats (Gwynedd-Mercy game): http://dl.dropbox.com/u/52208023/WS/xlive.htm
live video (Gwynedd-Mercy game): http://gmcgriffins.nmtvsports.com
Field Hockey at Drew (Saturday, 5:00)
The Mules (2-1) try to keep the momentum from Wednesday’s 2-1 upset of No. 9 Montclair State in their first road game of the season. Drew is 3-0 with three one-goal wins.
live stats: http://www.sidearmstats.com/drew/fhockey/scoreboard.aspx
Men’s Golf at Gettysburg Invitational (Saturday, 10:30)
Men’s Tennis hosts Mule Fall Classic (Sunday, 9:00)
The men’s golf and men’s tennis teams open their spring seasons. The four-team tennis tournament features Moravian, New York Tech and Wilkes.