The Muhlenberg athletic logo is a kicking Mule, and on Saturday the kicking Mule on the football team had an extraordinary day.
Senior Connor Winter broke the school records for career field goals (28) and points by a kicker (207) in a 34-20 win at Dickinson. Despite winds that threatened to make adventures out of normally routine kicks, Winter was perfect on all six of his tries (four extra points and two field goals).
Winter, who did not kick as a freshman (he lettered as a punter), has improved every season and is having an outstanding senior year. He is 38-for-39 on extra points and 12-of-14 on field goals, including a career-long 49-yarder, to lead the high-scoring Mules with 74 points.
Only three Division III kickers have made more field goals this season, and Winter is tied for third in the nation in points scored by a kicker.
Here’s a closer look at Winter’s record 28 field goals:
by distance
- 0-19 yards: 1 in 1 attempt
- 20-29 yards: 10 in 13 attempts
- 30-39 yards: 11 in 16 attempts
- 40-49 yards: 6 in 11 attempts
by site
- home: 12 in 17 attempts
- away: 16 in 24 attempts
by quarter
- first: 3 in 4 attempts
- second: 13 in 17 attempts
- third: 4 in 9 attempts
- fourth: 8 in 11 attempts
by year
- 2012: 7 in 11 games
- 2013: 9 in 11 games
- 2014: 12 in 8 games
And here is a breakdown of Winter’s record 207 points:
by opponent
- McDaniel – 32
- Dickinson – 28
- Johns Hopkins – 24
- Gettysburg – 21
- Juniata – 20
- The Apprentice School – 16
- Moravian – 15
- Susquehanna – 14
- Franklin & Marshall – 12
- Ursinus – 11
- Wilkes – 10
- Delaware Valley – 3
- Salisbury – 1
Winter is 123-for-127 on extra points for his career and needs just two more made PATs to break that school record. He has been kept scoreless only once in the last three years, in a 17-0 loss at Susquehanna in 2012, and is tied for 19th (fourth among kickers) on the Centennial Conference all-time scoring list.
Playoff Pressure: If it seems like the Mule soccer and field hockey teams have played a lot of overtime games this year, they have.
Women’s soccer is 3-1-2 in overtime this year, men’s soccer is 1-1-2 and field hockey is 3-0. Last week there were four games at Varsity Field, and three of them went into overtime.
Add in volleyball, which has played six five-set matches, and there have been plenty of dramatic, heart-stopping moments for Muhlenberg fans since the end of August.
Now that playoff season is upon us, where the games are tensely contested and against quality opponents, be forewarned that there could be more of the same.
Men’s soccer, which has won four consecutive games by one goal for the first time ever, lost its last Centennial Conference playoff game, 2-0 to Dickinson in 2011. Of the 14 other CC playoff games the Mules have played, half went to overtime, with four ending in a “Golden Goal” and three going to penalty kicks, and three were decided in regulation by one goal.
Women’s soccer is playing in the CC first-round game for the sixth time. Of the first five, three were 1-0 games, one finished 2-1, and the other, played last year at McDaniel, was a scoreless tie. Muhlenberg won the shootout to advance to the semifinals.
Field hockey and volleyball have less of a history of close postseason contests. Field hockey has never gone to overtime in its five all-time CC playoff games. Volleyball has played five CC playoff matches, with one ending in a sweep and the other four going four sets.
Regardless of how close the playoff contests turn out to be, the best part is that Muhlenberg will be involved. Since the CC went to postseason tournaments for all sports in 2001, this is the first time the Mule have qualified all four of their fall teams.
