The first full weekend of Centennial Conference play features two playoff rematches.
Field Hockey at McDaniel (Friday, 7:00)
Muhlenberg (4-1) begins its quest for a second consecutive playoff berth with a trip to Maryland. The Mules come in with a four-game winning streak and have allowed only three goals – tied for the fewest in the CC – in five games.
McDaniel (4-2) brings a three-game winning streak into its CC opener. The Green Terror has not made the playoffs since 2006 and had a 3-7 CC record – its worst since 1999 – last year.
Muhlenberg leads the all-time series, 12-9, and has won the last two meetings. The last game played in Westminster was a wild back-and-forth affair in which the Mules came from behind twice before winning, 4-3 in overtime.
Volleyball vs. McDaniel (Saturday, 12:00); vs. Cedar Crest (Saturday, 4:00)
Fresh off its win against defending CC regular-season champion Franklin & Marshall on Wednesday, Muhlenberg hops right back into the fire against a McDaniel team that it faced – and beat – in the CC semifinals last year.
The Mules (11-2) have won four in a row and lead the CC in kills per set (11.89), hitting percentage (.254), assists per set (11.09) and points per set (16.2). McDaniel (9-2), coming off a five-set loss to 13-1 Catholic, is the top blocking team in the CC, averaging 2.11 blocks per set.
Muhlenberg leads the all-time series, 15-8, and has won the last four meetings, including both last year.
The final match of the day pits Muhlenberg against 1-6 Cedar Crest. A win against McDaniel would put the Mules at 2-0 in the CC for the first time since 2002. A sweep would give them their best record (13-2) through 15 matches since 1993.
Men’s Soccer vs. McDaniel (Saturday, 4:00)
This is one of five games that open the 2014 CC men’s soccer season, and the early non-league results point to a highly competitive campaign ahead. CC teams have combined for an outstanding 42-12-4 (.759) record so far and occupy seven of the 10 spots in the NSCAA regional rankings released earlier this week.
Muhlenberg is looking to return to the playoffs after two years away, while McDaniel is seeking its first CC playoff berth since 2005.
The Mules (4-0-1) bring an unscored-upon streak of 428 minutes into the game; through Wednesday’s games, they were one of only nine teams in Division III to have played at least five games and allowed fewer than two goals. McDaniel (5-1) counters with the CC leader in goals and points.
Muhlenberg has won the last nine meetings to extend its series lead to 33-7-1, but seven of those nine games were decided by a single goal, including a 1-0 match last year in which the goal was not scored until the 72nd minute. The Green Terror’s last series win came in 2001 in the semifinals of the CC playoffs.
Women’s Soccer vs. McDaniel (Saturday, 7:00)
Muhlenberg and Bryn Mawr got the jump on the 2014 CC season last Thursday, but for the other nine teams in the league, Saturday is Opening Day. Of the five games scheduled, this is the only one featuring two teams that made the playoffs last year.
CC teams have done very well in non-league games, combining for a 38-19-4 (.656) record and placing five teams – including these two – in the regional top 10.
The first goal could win the game, as both of these teams have been very stingy. McDaniel has given up just one goal all season and Muhlenberg only two.
The Green Terror (5-0-1 and ranked ninth in the region) brings in a scoreless streak of 473 minutes. The Mules (5-0-1 and ranked 10th in the region) have set a school record for longest unbeaten streak to start a season and are coming off a very strong performance in a 1-1 tie against Lebanon Valley (ranked eighth in the region).
Muhlenberg holds a 14-6-2 series lead and has suffered only two losses to McDaniel since 1997. The teams met twice last year, with the Mules winning the regular-season meeting, 1-0. In the first round of the CC playoffs, the teams played to a scoreless draw, and Muhlenberg won the shootout to advance to the semifinals.
Football at McDaniel (Saturday, 2:00)
There was a time when the trip to Westminster was a dreaded one for the Mules: From 1990 to 2006, they lost nine straight games there. But the last three trips have been much more fruitful: three Muhlenberg wins by a combined score of 111-6.
The Mules (2-0) have won eight consecutive regular-season games and came within three minutes of opening a season with back-to-back shutouts for only the second time in 66 years last week.
McDaniel (1-1) is a building program that improved from 0-10 in 2012 to 2-8 last year. The Green Terror opened the 2014 season with a stirring comeback win at Catholic, scoring 20 points in the final 6:35 to pull out a 34-31 win. Last week, McDaniel dropped its CC opener to Moravian, 28-7.
Muhlenberg has displayed the ability to produce big plays both on the ground and through the air and will try to take advantage of a McDaniel defense that allowed an average of more than 450 yards in its first two games. The Mule defense will be tested by a Green Terror passing attack that has thrown the ball 90 times for 511 yards in the first two weeks.
McDaniel leads the all-time series, 22-19-3.
Cross Country at Dickinson Long/Short Invitational
Dickinson is hosting its annual two-for-one meet, which features a 4K race for both men and women in addition to the standard distances. The meet will give the Mule teams a chance to run on the course that will be used for the NCAA Mideast Regional come November.
Women’s Tennis at ITA Southeast Regional (Mary Washington); Women’s Golf at McDaniel Fall Invitational (Saturday)
Both teams are traveling south, tennis to compete in the regional championships and golf to open its season.