For the second weekend in a row, two Mule teams square off against teams they played in the Centennial Conference playoffs last year. Plus, a big football game that could determine a trip to the NCAA playoffs.
Field Hockey vs. Johns Hopkins (Friday, 7:00)
Muhlenberg (4-2) was on a roll before dropping its Centennial Conference opener at McDaniel last Friday and has had a week to prepare for this game. Johns Hopkins (4-4) won its first CC game in double-overtime against Washington last Saturday.
Both teams have prepared for the season with strong schedules. The Mules’ five non-CC opponents are a combined 21-13 (which includes an 0-6 by Drew) against other teams, and Muhlenberg is responsible for the only loss by ninth-ranked Montclair State. The Blue Jays’ last two losses were to the teams ranked second (Salisbury) and third (TCNJ) in the most recent Division III poll.
Johns Hopkins has won the last four meetings to extend its series lead to 18-5. Last year, Muhlenberg could not hold an early 1-0 lead and lost, 2-1.
Football vs. Johns Hopkins (Saturday, 2:00)
The lone home event on Saturday is a powerhouse matchup of the two pre-eminent programs in the Centennial Conference this century.
Since the start of the 2000 season, Johns Hopkins is 81-24 (.771) in CC play and has won or shared nine championships. Muhlenberg is right behind at .714 and seven titles. No other team is close.
Johns Hopkins, the five-time defending champion, has won 32 of its last 33 CC games and is ranked 12th in the AFCA poll. Muhlenberg, which has finished second three straight years, is ranked 23rd. It is believed to be the first CC game ever between two top-25 teams.
And while it’s still early in the season, the winner of this game has gone on to represent the CC in the NCAA Tournament every year but one since 2002.
Both teams are 3-0, with only one close game (the Blue Jays’ 27-20 win at Susquehanna). Muhlenberg, which has won nine straight regular-season home games since a 2012 loss to Johns Hopkins, has outscored its first three opponents by a combined 118 points.
Muhlenberg leads the all-time series, 23-22-1, but Johns Hopkins has won four of the last five meetings. The last three years, the Mules led 10-7 in the third quarter, trailed 13-7 at halftime and trailed 14-13 late in the second quarter but wound up losing all three games by double-digit margins.
Volleyball at Johns Hopkins (Saturday, 1:00)
A rematch of the 2013 Centennial Conference championship match pairs up the two hottest teams in the CC. Muhlenberg (14-2, 2-0) has won seven in a row, while Johns Hopkins (9-8, 1-0), which faced many nationally ranked opponents in the early part of its schedule, has captured its last six.
The CC has been characterized by tightly contested matches this season, with four of the seven matches – including both played the Mules – going a full five sets. Hopkins won its opening CC match in three sets against Washington.
The three-time defending CC champion Blue Jays lead the all-time series, 18-5, and have won the last five meetings, including a 3-0 sweep in the regular season and a 3-1 win in the CC final last year. Muhlenberg’s last series win came in Baltimore in 2009.
Women’s Soccer at Johns Hopkins (Saturday, 1:00)
Muhlenberg (6-1-1, 2-0) is looking to rebound from its first loss of the season, a last-minute heartbreaker against Scranton on Tuesday. A win would put the Mules at 3-0 in the Centennial Conference for the first time since 2001.
Johns Hopkins isn’t the ideal opponent for a team trying to return to the win column: The Blue Jays (7-2, 1-0) are ranked eighth by D3soccer.com and are 32-1-1 in their last 34 CC regular-season games.
Hopkins leads the all-time series, 16-9-1, and won both meetings last year, 5-0 in the regular season, when it was ranked No. 1 in the country, and 8-0 in the CC semifinals. Since 2009, the Mules have posted three upsets of Blue Jay teams ranked in the top 10, including a 2-0 win in 2012.
Men’s Soccer at Gettysburg (Saturday, 4:00)
Undefeated Muhlenberg (6-0-1, 1-0) hits the road for the first time this season for the first of three games in seven days against regionally ranked Centennial Conference opponents. The Mules are ranked third in the region themselves and appear in the top 25 in both Division III polls.
Gettysburg (7-1, 1-0), which has not made the CC playoffs since 2010, is off to a 7-1 start, its best in eight years. The Bullets are ranked seventh in the Mid-Atlantic Region, their lone loss coming to top-ranked Messiah.
Muhlenberg has allowed a CC-low three goals all season, while Gettysburg is coming off back-to-back four-goal games against Ursinus and Marymount.
The Mules lead the all-time series, 35-19-6, but had their eight-game series winning streak snapped with a 2-1 overtime loss last year.
Women’s Golf at Susquehanna Fall Invitational (Saturday); at Gettysburg Invitational (Sunday)
The Mules will log plenty of time on the golf course this weekend, competing on back-to-back days for the first time this year.
Men’s Tennis at ITA Southeast Regional (Saturday and Sunday)
The men’s tennis team travels to Mary Washington for the annual regional championship.