An early Homecoming weekend features home games in field hockey, football and men’s soccer and the closest thing the cross country teams have to a home meet. Plus, volleyball competes in a tournament for the third straight weekend and men’s tennis opens its year with a home tournament.
Field Hockey vs. Drew (Friday, 7:00)
Muhlenberg (2-1) plays its fourth straight home game to start the season against a Drew team that was 16-4 last year but is winless in four games so far this fall.
Defense has been the key for both teams: The Mules have allowed only two goals, the only one in the last 204 minutes coming on a penalty stroke. The Rangers, on the other hand, have allowed 18 goals in four games, the most coming in a 7-1 loss to Montclair State, which was undoubtedly eager to take out its anger on someone after losing to Muhlenberg.
Drew holds a 15-13-1 series lead, including a 6-1 win last year, but the home team has won the last five meetings.
Volleyball at Knights Invitational: vs. Eastern (Friday, 6:00); vs. Neumann (Friday, 8:00); vs. Moravian (Saturday, 1:00); vs. Widener (Saturday, 3:00)
After going 7-1 at Gettysburg and in its own tournament the last two weekends, Muhlenberg travels to Neumann for another tournament. The Mules’ first opponent, Eastern, reached the NCAA semifinals in 2011 and the quarterfinals last year and is currently ranked 12th in Division III.
Host Neumann is 4-0, Moravian is 5-5, and Widener is 1-6.
Cross Country Co-Hosts Cedar Crest/Muhlenberg Invitational (Saturday, 10:00)
The Mules, running a short distance from campus, will aim for a repeat of last year, when they swept both the team and individual titles. Senior Luke Munyan is the defending men’s champion.
Football vs. Franklin & Marshall (Saturday, 1:00)
The Centennial Conference opener for both teams could turn out to be one of the key games of the year. Muhlenberg and F&M, both of which opened the season with wins last week, have received ECAC bowl bids each of the last two years and have their sights set on unseating five-time defending champion Johns Hopkins.
In the CC preseason poll, Muhlenberg was picked second (with six first-place votes) and Franklin & Marshall was tabbed fourth.
Franklin & Marshall leads the all-time series, 53-43-1. Since 2005, the teams have traded two-game series winning streaks, with Muhlenberg winning in 2007-08 and 2011-12 and the Diplomats prevailing in 2005-06 and 2009-10. F&M won last year, 28-21.
The Mules come into the game with an all-time record of 496-497-41. With a win, they will climb to .500 for the first time since 1931.
The live video will feature highlights from the Mules’ win vs. Wilkes at halftime.
Men’s Soccer vs. Stevens (Saturday, 7:00)
The biggest win for the Muhlenberg men’s soccer team in recent years came at the expense of Stevens. In the second round of the 2010 NCAA Tournament, the Mules won 2-1 in double-overtime, handing the Ducks their first NCAA loss (other than by shootout) since 2005 and snapping their 34-game home unbeaten streak.
None of the players from that game and only one of the head coaches will take part in this year’s Homecoming rematch (only the second regular-season meeting between the two teams since 1973), but the memory will linger on in both programs for years to come.
Muhlenberg is 3-0 for the first time since 2011 and receiving votes in the national Division III poll. Stevens, which has won at least 15 games for the last 12 years, is off to an uncharacteristic 2-2 start after losing only one regular-season game all of last season.
Men’s Tennis hosts Mule Fall Classic (Sunday, 9:00)
The Mules welcome Drew, Moravian and Oneonta State for their first competition of the year.
Men’s Golf at Allegheny’s Guy W. Kuhn Memorial Invitational (Sunday and Monday)
Fresh off their win at Moravian, the Mules travel to western Pennsylvania for a two-day tournament.