Monthly Archives: October 2014

Weekend Preview – October 3-5, 2014

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weekend previewMost Muhlenberg students are going home for Fall Break this weekend, to be replaced on campus by a bunch of Devils, some of them nationally ranked. Plus, a soccer showdown between ranked teams.

Men’s Soccer at Franklin & Marshall (Friday, 4:00)

Two of the remaining 14 undefeated teams in Division III meet in a matchup that could shape the race for the top seed in the Centennial Conference playoffs. Franklin & Marshall (9-0-1, 3-0), which reached the NCAA quarterfinals last year, is ranked third by D3soccer.com and eighth by the NSCAA. Muhlenberg (7-0-2, 2-0-1) is 21st in both polls.

In the CC standings, F&M is tied with Dickinson for first place, with Muhlenberg two points back.

The two teams are tied for the fewest goals allowed in the CC. The Diplomats have outscored their opponents 23-5, the Mules 22-5.

Muhlenberg’s last game against a top-10 team was a 2-1 loss to No. 9 Swarthmore in the 2010 CC championship game. Its last win against a top-10 team was a 1-0 defeat of No. 10 Dickinson in 2009. The Mules haven’t played a team ranked in the top five since 2001 and haven’t beaten one since 1999 (3-2 vs. third-ranked Johns Hopkins).

Franklin & Marshall leads the all-time series, 30-28-5, but the Mules lead in CC play, 12-7-2. Last year, Muhlenberg won 1-0 in a game the Diplomats came into ranked 14th in Division III, undefeated and unscored-upon.

Live stats | Live video

Field Hockey vs. Dickinson (Saturday, 11:30)

So far, Muhlenberg (6-2, 2-1) has played three CC games this season, and the result of all three was the opposite of what it was last year. The Mules hope that trend continues against Dickinson, a team they lost to in 2013.

The Red Devils (9-1, 3-0) are ranked 20th in Division III and have won nine in a row since a season-opening loss to Juniata. They have allowed a CC-low seven goals in their 10 games.

Muhlenberg holds an 18-13-1 series lead and has won two of the last three meetings. The Mules have taken six of the last seven meetings in Allentown, including a 4-3 thriller in 2011.

Live stats | Live video

Volleyball vs. Dickinson (Saturday, 2:00)

Muhlenberg (16-2, 3-0) will be playing for its 10th straight win, its first 4-0 CC start since 1993 (the first year of the league) … and a little bit more. This is the annual “Dig for a Cure” Tanner's Touchmatch, and the Mules and Red Devils will be raising money for Tanner’s Touch, a foundation that raises money for pediatric cancer research at Johns Hopkins Hospital and also for families of children with cancer to offset the cost of medical treatment.

Both teams will collect donations and pledges from friends, families and team supporters for each dig they record in the match. To contribute, please contact Alexa Keckler at akeckler@muhlenberg.edu.

Dickinson comes in at 4-8 overall, 0-2 in the CC. Muhlenberg holds a 19-14 lead in a series in which five of the last 11 meetings, inlcuding the last two, have gone to five sets. Last year in Carlisle, the Mules pulled out a 15-12 win in the fifth set.

Live stats | Live video

Women’s Soccer vs. Dickinson (Saturday, 2:00)

Muhlenberg (6-2-2, 2-1) will look to snap its three-game winless streak against a Dickinson squad that is ranked 22nd in Division III by D3soccer.com. The lone loss for the Red Devils (8-1, 2-0) came to top-ranked Messiah.

Muhlenberg holds a 15-7-2 lead in a series that has seen the last four games end with a score of 1-0. The Mules won the last two, both in Carlisle and both on late goals: Two years ago, the lone score came with nine minutes left, and last year with just 15 seconds remaining. The result proved to be the difference in Muhlenberg making the playoffs as the fifth seed and Dickinson staying home.

Live stats | Live video

Football at Susquehanna (Saturday, 1:00)

Muhlenberg (3-1, 2-1) looks to bounce back from its first loss of the season against a Susquehanna (0-4, 0-3) squad hungry for its first win. The Crusaders’ last three losses were by a total of 18 points.

The Mules will try to avoid a repeat of 2012, when they were shut out at Susquehanna a week after losing at home to Johns Hopkins. They will try to take advantage of a Crusader defense that is allowing 267.0 rushing yards per game – 233rd out of 242 Division III teams. Susquehanna does rank among the Division III leaders in fumbles recovered, however.

Muhlenberg leads the all-time series, 12-10. Last year, the Mules allowed 144 total yards and no offensive touchdowns in a 38-18 win.

Live stats | Live video

Cross Country at Paul Short Run (Saturday)

The Mules return to action after a week off at one of the largest cross country meets in the nation, with more than 5,500 runners from over 400 teams competing at the all-day event.

Meet page

Men’s Golf at Mason-Dixon Classic (Saturday-Sunday)

Muhlenberg travels to McDaniel for a two-day tournament.

“Just So American”

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At 6a.m. on a clear, hot summer-like day, the Muhlenberg College men’s lacrosse team was on the bus headed to New York City to run the Stephen Siller Tunnel to Towers 5K. For those of us who participated in the run two years ago, we didn’t think twice about having to get up early. The younger guys who hadn’t ran in the past fed off our energy when they saw how excited the upperclassmen were to head back.

Stephen Siller Tunnel to TowersStephen Siller, a FDNY firefighter out of Park Slope, Brooklyn, from Rockville Centre, New York, lost his life on September 11th.  Siller worked the night shift and was heading home that morning when he heard the news of the first tower being hit. He called his wife and turned back. When he found the Battery Tunnel was closed, he grabbed his gear, ditched his truck, ran through the tunnel to the towers and never made it out.

The 5K carries on the legacy and sacrifice of Stephen Siller and all the others who were lost. This was the 13th annual 5K, and the Stephen Siller Foundation has grown tremendously and holds similar 5Ks throughout the country. The Stephen Siller Foundation builds smart homes that are powered by iPads for wounded veterans.

It took about 30 minutes to register and eventually make our way over to the block-long crowd to behind the starting line. The race starts at NYFD Squad 1, Siller’s firehouse, and retraces his final steps. Following the national anthem at about 10a.m., the Mules and 30,000 other runners headed off in their respective waves.

Firefighters from around the world ran came to run in their gear to pay tribute while military units ran together in their workout fatigues. About 15 minutes after the start we jogged past the news crews, high-fived Governor Cuomo and started off towards the tunnel toll free.

Tunnel to Towers run

“U-S-A!” chants broke out in the muggy tunnel as music played through speakers. Memories of 9/11 distracted us from the miles left to go. We weaved through the packed tunnel sticking together in groups. Light emerged at the end of the tunnel to the first breath of the new World Trade Center buildings, now completed unlike two years ago.

Over a thousand West Point cadets lined the streets bearing American flags, while firefighters dressed in formal blues held banners of the faces of each one lost that tragic day. I ran harder, acknowledging each face, nodding to those who carried them.

Tunnel to Towers run

We ran along the Hudson River through Battery Park with a view of the Statue of Liberty shining in the distance. Local cheerleading squads and marching bands cheered us on along the way. We made a final turn out of the park to the finish line at the base of the Freedom Tower. We all met back together and took a moment to look up and take it all in.

Before heading back to the bus we walked through the Ground Zero Memorial. The twin reflecting pools, an acre big each, sit on the foundation where the towers once stood. I got lost looking down into the biggest manmade waterfall in the country, thinking how that one day changed everything for all. I read the inscribed names on the bronze edging, listening to the water fall stories below. I never visited the monument before, so it really fulfilled this tribute even more so than the last time we ran in it.

Tunnel to Towers run

We all ran with a sense of pride and ran for something bigger than us all. It was truly a humbling experience. As sophomore Brad D’Alessandro put it, “It was so inspiring to see firefighters running in their gear, others who crutched or completed the race in wheelchairs. It was just so American.”

Tunnel to Towers runA few of our parents ran with us, while others came and met us at the finish line. We spoke with a couple prospective students, who approached us asking questions about Muhlenberg College, and others acknowledged our effort in coming from Pennsylvania to run.

It was an honor to run with thousands of others to carry on the lives that were lost but never forgotten. There’s nothing like running through the Battery Tunnel, along the Hudson River in the shadow of the Freedom Tower on such hallowed ground on a beautiful Sunday morning in New York City. The guys look forward to doing it again next year.

For more information on the Stephen Siller Foundation and the many causes it supports, please visit http://tunneltotowersrun.org/

by Austin Akner ’15

“Rock” Solid

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There is no denying that rivalries are one of the most intriguing and anticipated parts of sports. Each school, each team, each player has a counterpart who circles that rivalry game on the schedule from day one.

So what happens when a teammate turns into your rival and then once again becomes your teammate again? Just ask Muhlenberg soccer seniors Lance Dotzman and Bryan Attanasio.

Bryan AttanasioSoccer led Dotzman and Attanasio to become good friends as they took the field for the same club team for years prior to high school. However, for two nights every fall, when they stepped foot on the pitch they became rivals; Dotzman played for Council Rock High School South while Attanasio played for Council Rock North.

“It was fun to be able to compete against a good friend in an atmosphere like that,” Attanasio (left) said. “In regards to soccer, high school was a lot less serious than club so that made the rivalry and playing against Lance that much more enjoyable.”

But with two players who are known to be true competitors on the Muhlenberg soccer team, there was bound to be a certain level of intensity that each enjoyed when the Council Rock rivalry was renewed each fall.

“When the game started we were enemies,” said Dotzman. “But when the final whistle blew we were friends again.”

Both enjoyed being able to share a rivalry from opposite sides with a good friend, but neither expected a new chapter to unfold when it was over.

Lance Dotzman“When I went early decision at Muhlenberg I received a short list of other players who had done the same and committed here,” explained Attanasio. “It wasn’t until then that I realized I was going to get to play with Lance again after not being teammates for the past four years. I was excited.”

That excitement was shared by Dotzman (right), who found out they would again be teammates in the fall of 2011 when he ran into Attanasio at a Muhlenberg soccer game his senior year.

They had an immediate impact for the Mules, appearing in 13 of 19 games as freshmen. As sophomores Dotzman started every game while Attanasio started in half before he was sidelined by an injury. Their junior campaign saw the duo start every game together, both earning second-team All-CC honors.

The Mule captains celebrate after Attanasio (left) assisted Dotzman on a goal vs. DeSales last week.

The Mule captains celebrate after Attanasio (left) assisted Dotzman on a goal vs. DeSales last week.

This season, they are core players, Dotzman as a central midfielder and Attanasio as a right back, for the undefeated and 21st-ranked Mules.

Not only did Muhlenberg reunite them as teammates, but also now as co-captains.

“It has been a pleasure to be able to progress with Lance these past four years,” said Attanasio.

Dotzman agreed, saying the two of them know what each other is thinking and are on the same page both on and off the field. As for the rivalry, both say that it has been put behind them. The reason? Because each feels that their school is superior.

“I don’t consider him my rival,” Dotzman explained. “After winning the league my senior year, that was enough satisfaction.”

Even though Dotzman has his own championship to flaunt, his goal is to win one now with Attanasio. The co-captains are working to lead the Mules to their first Centennial Conference championship since 2005. No matter what they say, that’s one the former Council Rock rivals could share together.

by David Anderson ’15