“Wow, did that really happen?” quipped senior CJ Graetzer as the elated Muhlenberg women’s soccer team filed onto the bus following its shootout win against McDaniel in the first round of the Centennial Conference playoffs on Tuesday.

Yes, it did happen. And it, or something like it, has happened before – about 17 times in the last 27 years.

Following is a list of Muhlenberg “Playoff Walkoffs” – postseason contests that were decided on the last play and enabled a Mule team to advance or win a championship. (We stretched the definition of “last play” slightly for the two basketball games.)

Women’s Soccer vs. McDaniel, 2013

After a scoreless tie, the Mules won the penalty kick shootout, 4-3, to advance to the Centennial Conference semifinals. Amanda Wong stopped a Green Terror PK on the final play of the game.

video: http://youtu.be/XMlR0oslttI

Men’s Basketball vs. Gettysburg, 2013

Malique Killing hit a jumper from the top of the key with seven-tenths of a second remaining for a 45-43 win in a CC first-round game.

video: http://www.muhlenberg.edu/wmv/main/athletics/killing_gw_gettysburg.wmv

Women’s Basketball vs. Williams, 2011

Alexandra Chili’s step-back three from the corner with one second left lifted the Mules to a 64-63 win in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Muhlenberg went on to defeat Rochester the next day to advance to the “Sweet 16.”

video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LOMzz2DKlzU

Men’s Soccer vs. Stevens, 2010

Stevens was ranked 13th in Division III, owned a 34-match home unbeaten streak and had not lost in the NCAA Tournament (except on penalty kicks) since 2005 – until Josh Luginbuhl scored a “Golden Goal” with 3:21 left in double overtime to send Muhlenberg to the “Sweet 16” with a 2-1 win.

video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QCm-E6eEAyo

Softball vs. Gettysburg, 2009

Muhlenberg trailed 5-3 heading into the bottom of the seventh of this CC first-round playoff game. Four singles cut the deficit to one run, and then Samantha Crist hit a walkoff grand slam for an 8-5 win. It wound up winning the championship for the Mules, who were awarded the title as the highest remaining seed when the tournament was rained out the next day.

Men’s Soccer vs. Franklin & Marshall, 2004

The Mules were 0-3 in overtime games for the season before Jonathan Kliewer, playing near his hometown of Ephrata, Pa., scored a “Golden Goal” 1:21 into extra time for a 1-0 win in the first round of the CC playoffs.

Men’s Soccer vs. Gordon, 2003

In the first round of the NCAA Tournament, Evan Smallwood converted a PK with five minutes left in regulation to tie the game at 2-2. After two scoreless overtime periods, Smallwood ended the shootout with another successful penalty.

Softball vs. Merchant Marine, 2003

Tied 5-5 after four innings, the Mules and Mariners battled through seven scoreless innings in this NCAA Tournament elimination game. Kristen Best finally ended the marathon game with a walkoff single in the bottom of the 12th.

Women’s Soccer vs. Johns Hopkins, 1999

Maybe the best career postseason walkoff in Muhlenberg history: Hilary Moses (No. 4 in the picture), a senior whose playing time had been limited by injuries, made the winning penalty kick in the ECAC championship game on the final play of her Mule career.

Men’s Soccer vs. Messiah, 1995

The latest into the postseason for a Muhlenberg walkoff; Todd Ervin’s “Golden Goal” in the 126th minute (overtimes were 15 minutes then, and teams played as many as four before going into PKs) on a frigid night gave the 10th-ranked Mules a 1-0 win against the third-ranked Falcons in an NCAA regional final. Muhlenberg defeated Ithaca the following weekend to advance to the “Final Four.”

Men’s Soccer vs. Carnegie Mellon, 1994

In an NCAA Tournament first-round game hosted by Muhlenberg, regulation play and overtime went on without a goal. Thomas Auchenbach made the 10th and final penalty kick to give the Mules a 3-2 win in the shootout and send them to the second round for the first time in program history.

video: men’s soccer 1994

(This game also serves as proof that 20-year-old VHS tapes still work.)

Softball, 1989-92

The softball team made a habit of going to the postseason in the late ’80s and early ’90s, and they also made a habit of winning games in dramatic fashion. The Mules posted walkoff wins against Wilkes in the 1989 NCAA Tournament (on an RBI single by Laura Williams), Mount Union twice in the 1990 NCAA Tournament (RBI single by Val Verenna and three-run triple/error by Kim Lapple) and Franklin & Marshall in the 1991 MAC playoffs (RBI grounder by Karen Brown). The pick of the group, however, was a walkoff single by freshman Tara Molloy in the bottom of the eighth for a 4-3 win against Elizabethtown in the 1992 MAC championship game.

Men’s Soccer vs. Johns Hopkins, 1987

Six years away from becoming fierce Centennial Conference rivals, Muhlenberg and Hopkins played a wild MAC South championship game. The Mules took leads of 2-1 and 3-2 in the first two overtime periods (which were not sudden death at the time), only to have the Blue Jays tie the score both times. Off to a shootout the match went. With the entire Muhlenberg football team (which was practicing on the adjacent field) looking on, Bert Mukkulainen completed a perfect Mule run through the round of five PKs by converting the winning shot after the fourth Hopkins shooter missed high.