Even an emergency surgery couldn’t prevent the record start of the Muhlenberg women’s soccer team.
The regionally ranked Mules have set a program record for longest unbeaten streak to start a season – six, following a 1-1 tie with Lebanon Valley last night. Defense is a big reason why: through games of last weekend, Muhlenberg was one of only 12 teams in Division III that had played at least five games and given up fewer than two goals.
Not bad for a team that had to change goalies unexpectedly.
Jen Mermelstein
Junior Jen Mermelstein started the first two games of the season, recording shutouts in both. On the night of Tuesday, September 2, she went to bed with a stomach ache. When the pain became too great in the middle of the night, she went to the hospital.
Not long after, she underwent surgery to have her appendix removed.
That was Wednesday, two days before the Mules’ next scheduled game. Sophomore Tori Gonzalez got the news in class when a teammate texted “good luck” to her.
Although Gonzalez had no previous game experience at Muhlenberg, she was a logical choice to step into the starting role.
Mermelstein was visited by some teammates in the hospital, and the topic of her replacement came up. “We felt if someone was the most game ready, it was Tori,” she recalled.
Tori Gonzalez
Gonzalez has rewarded her teammates’ faith in her, allowing only two goals in her first four starts.
“I think she’s done a really good job,” said Mermelstein. “She didn’t have any time to mentally prepare [to be the starter]. She’s stepped up to the challenge.”
Maybe “rising up to the challenge” would be a better way to put it. Gonzalez had her own way of mentally preparing – she watched all four “Rocky” movies the night before and the day of her first start.
“I love those movies,” she said. “That got me pumped up.”
Gonzalez says she was nervous for about the first 20 minutes of her first start, against Delaware Valley, but then her years of playing goalie all came back to her and she began to feel more comfortable. Her confidence and comfort level have continued to increase since then.
Still feeling the effects of her surgery, Mermelstein attended Gonzalez’ second start, a game against Gwynedd Mercy on Saturday, September 6. It was Mermelstein’s 20th birthday, and her presence was a sort of present for Gonzalez.
“I liked having Jen there a lot,” she said. “She’s very stable mentally and was able to help me out when I was a little bit nervous.”
Mermelstein returned to classes on September 9 and ran with the team for the first time this week. Her legs are fine, but she needs to have less pain in her upper body to be able to dive like a goalie. She hopes to return to action next week as the Mules get into the heart of their conference season.
And who will be the starting goalie then?
“I want my spot back,” admitted Mermelstein. “But if Tori is more deserving of it at the point when I come back, then why switch?”