Category Archives: field hockey

Weekend Preview – September 19-21, 2014

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weekend previewThe 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.

Live stats | Live video

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.

Live stats | Live video

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.

Live stats | Live video

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.

Live stats | Live video

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.

Live stats | Live video

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.

 

Monday Morning Mule – September 15, 2014

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Monday Morning MuleOur new feature takes a look at some weekend leftovers and previews the upcoming week.

This week marks the beginning of Centennial Conference play for most teams.

Soccer: It’s been a great start for the Mule soccer teams. The women are 5-0, tying the best start in program history, while the men are 4-0 and received votes in last week’s NSCAA Division III poll.

Muhlenberg is one of only four schools in Division III whose men’s and women’s soccer teams are undefeated and untied at this stage in the season. The others are Luther, Messiah and Tufts.

How long can the Mule soccer teams keep it up? It will be quite the challenge once they start playing CC games regularly. (The men open Saturday at home against McDaniel, and the women, who played an early league game last week at Bryn Mawr, also host McDaniel on Saturday.)

The 11 CC women’s teams have a combined record of 33-18-2 (.642), with Dickinson, McDaniel and Haverford joining Muhlenberg in the undefeated ranks. And Johns Hopkins (5-2) is ranked in the top 20 in Division III.

The CC men’s teams have done even better, going 9-0 on Saturday to improve their combined record to an amazing 38-8-2 (.813). Franklin & Marshall, Dickinson, Johns Hopkins, Gettysburg, Swarthmore and Muhlenberg are all receiving votes in at least one of the Division III polls.

boll_powVolleyball: The 10-2 Mules, off to their best start in 20 years, have a huge opening week of CC play. On Wednesday, they host defending regular-season champion Franklin & Marshall, which has won 15 consecutive regular-season CC matches. On Saturday, they welcome McDaniel in a rematch of last year’s CC semifinal, won by Muhlenberg.

As in soccer, CC volleyball teams have fared very well in the opening part of the season, setting up what should be a competitive league race. CC teams are a combined 69-38 (.645).

Muhlenberg went 3-1 at Neumann’s tournament over the weekend, and it was announced yesterday that junior Katherine Boll was named to the all-tournament team. It was the third straight all-tournament nod this season for Boll, who leads the CC in blocks (38) and is second in hitting percentage (.371).

Field Hockey: The CC … you guessed it … is strong in field hockey too, with every team except 0-6 Swarthmore at .500 or better. Muhlenberg (3-1) opens at McDaniel (3-2) on Friday night.

The Mules’ success this season has been fueled by their defense, which is very apparent if you look at their scores. They have allowed only three goals in four games; the last time they started a season giving up no more than one goal in their first four games was 1991.

The defense looks even more impressive when you look at the opponents’ scores. Take away the Muhlenberg games, and Scranton, Montclair State, Elizabethtown and Drew have combined to score 64 goals in 17 games, an average of 3.8 goals per game.

Weekend Preview – September 12-14, 2014

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weekend previewAn early Homecoming weekend features home games in field hockey, football and men’s soccer and the closest thing the cross country teams have to a home meet. Plus, volleyball competes in a tournament for the third straight weekend and men’s tennis opens its year with a home tournament.

Field Hockey vs. Drew (Friday, 7:00)

Muhlenberg (2-1) plays its fourth straight home game to start the season against a Drew team that was 16-4 last year but is winless in four games so far this fall.

Defense has been the key for both teams: The Mules have allowed only two goals, the only one in the last 204 minutes coming on a penalty stroke. The Rangers, on the other hand, have allowed 18 goals in four games, the most coming in a 7-1 loss to Montclair State, which was undoubtedly eager to take out its anger on someone after losing to Muhlenberg.

Drew holds a 15-13-1 series lead, including a 6-1 win last year, but the home team has won the last five meetings.

Live stats | Live video

Volleyball at Knights Invitational: vs. Eastern (Friday, 6:00); vs. Neumann (Friday, 8:00); vs. Moravian (Saturday, 1:00); vs. Widener (Saturday, 3:00)

After going 7-1 at Gettysburg and in its own tournament the last two weekends, Muhlenberg travels to Neumann for another tournament. The Mules’ first opponent, Eastern, reached the NCAA semifinals in 2011 and the quarterfinals last year and is currently ranked 12th in Division III.

Host Neumann is 4-0, Moravian is 5-5, and Widener is 1-6.

Cross Country Co-Hosts Cedar Crest/Muhlenberg Invitational (Saturday, 10:00)

The Mules, running a short distance from campus, will aim for a repeat of last year, when they swept both the team and individual titles. Senior Luke Munyan is the defending men’s champion.

Football vs. Franklin & Marshall (Saturday, 1:00)

The Centennial Conference opener for both teams could turn out to be one of the key games of the year. Muhlenberg and F&M, both of which opened the season with wins last week, have received ECAC bowl bids each of the last two years and have their sights set on unseating five-time defending champion Johns Hopkins.

In the CC preseason poll, Muhlenberg was picked second (with six first-place votes) and Franklin & Marshall was tabbed fourth.

Franklin & Marshall leads the all-time series, 53-43-1. Since 2005, the teams have traded two-game series winning streaks, with Muhlenberg winning in 2007-08 and 2011-12 and the Diplomats prevailing in 2005-06 and 2009-10. F&M won last year, 28-21.

The Mules come into the game with an all-time record of 496-497-41. With a win, they will climb to .500 for the first time since 1931.

Live stats | Live video

The live video will feature highlights from the Mules’ win vs. Wilkes at halftime.

Men’s Soccer vs. Stevens (Saturday, 7:00)

The biggest win for the Muhlenberg men’s soccer team in recent years came at the expense of Stevens. In the second round of the 2010 NCAA Tournament, the Mules won 2-1 in double-overtime, handing the Ducks their first NCAA loss (other than by shootout) since 2005 and snapping their 34-game home unbeaten streak.

None of the players from that game and only one of the head coaches will take part in this year’s Homecoming rematch (only the second regular-season meeting between the two teams since 1973), but the memory will linger on in both programs for years to come.

Muhlenberg is 3-0 for the first time since 2011 and receiving votes in the national Division III poll. Stevens, which has won at least 15 games for the last 12 years, is off to an uncharacteristic 2-2 start after losing only one regular-season game all of last season.

Live stats | Live video

Men’s Tennis hosts Mule Fall Classic (Sunday, 9:00)

The Mules welcome Drew, Moravian and Oneonta State for their first competition of the year.

Men’s Golf at Allegheny’s Guy W. Kuhn Memorial Invitational (Sunday and Monday)

Fresh off their win at Moravian, the Mules travel to western Pennsylvania for a two-day tournament.

Weekend Preview – September 5-6, 2014

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weekend previewA volleyball tournament, two home women’s soccer games and a home field hockey game make for a busy weekend at Muhlenberg, while football and men’s soccer travel north.

Volleyball hosts Buttermaker Tournament: vs. FDU-Florham (Friday, 3:00); vs. Rutgers-Camden (Friday, 7:00); opponents TBD (Saturday, 10:00 and 2:00)

The 17th Buttermaker Tournament features visiting teams from as close as Bethlehem (Moravian) and as far away as Winchester, Va. (Shenandoah). Allegheny, Baruch, DeSales and Elizabethtown round out the nine-team field.

Muhlenberg (3-1), coming off a strong showing at Gettysburg last weekend, is seeking its first Buttermaker title since 2005. Each of the last two years, the Mules went 2-0 on the first day of the tournament but 0-2 on the second

Live stats (all Muhlenberg matches) | Live video (all Muhlenberg matches) | Tournament page

Women’s Soccer vs. Delaware Valley (Friday, 7:00) and vs. Gwynedd Mercy (Saturday, 6:00)

The regionally ranked Mules (2-0) play home games on back-to-back days for the second straight weekend. Last weekend, they defeated Wilkes and Marywood to open a season with two shutout wins for the first time since 1999.

Muhlenberg has never started with more than two shutout wins; in 1991, their first varsity season, the Mules blanked their first four opponents, but one of the games was a scoreless draw.

Muhlenberg scored 2-0 wins against both Delaware Valley (1-1) and Gwynedd Mercy (1-2) last year.

Live stats | Live video

Field Hockey vs. Elizabethtown (Saturday, 1:00)

Fresh off its win against third-ranked Montclair State, Muhlenberg hosts another team that has not shied away from tough competition: Elizabethtown opened the season with one-goal losses to No. 8 Franklin & Marshall and No. 12 Messiah.

Elizabethtown (14-6 last year) is part of an opening four-game stretch for the Mules against teams that combined for a .783 winning percentage in 2013.

The Blue Jays hold a 9-6-2 series lead and have won the last three meetings, scoring two goals in a span of less than three minutes to turn a 1-0 second-half deficit into a 2-1 victory last year.

Live stats | Live video

Football at Wilkes (Saturday, 1:00)

Muhlenberg opens its 113th season of football with an interesting matchup against Wilkes. Although the teams haven’t played each other since 2009, there will be plenty of familiarity: The Colonels’ new head coach is Trey Brown, the quarterbacks coach and special teams coordinator for the Mules for the last four years.

Muhlenberg returns most of its starting lineup from a 2013 squad that went 8-3 and earned an ECAC bowl bid. The Mules, ranked in the top 20 by Lindy’s and Sporting News, were picked second in the Centennial Conference preseason poll.

Wilkes, 4-6 last year, was eighth in the Middle Atlantic Conference preseason poll.

Live stats | Live video

Men’s Soccer at Marywood (Saturday, 4:00)

The regionally ranked Mules (2-0) hit the road for the first time this year in a rematch of last year’s ECAC Tournament first-round game, which Muhlenberg won, 2-0.

Wilkes was the last opponent for both teams. Muhlenberg won, 4-0, and Marywood (0-1-1) lost, 4-1.

Live stats

Weekend Preview – August 29-30, 2014

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weekend previewIt’s opening weekend of the 2014-15 school year, with six of the seven Mule fall teams in action and all facing some tough competition.

Women’s Soccer vs. Wilkes (Friday, 4:00) and vs. Marywood (Saturday, 4:00)

Three teams that qualified for their conference playoffs last year will compete on Varsity Field this weekend. Muhlenberg (7-11-2) advanced to the semifinals of the Centennial Conference playoffs, winning a shootout at McDaniel in the first round. Wilkes (9-7-4) was on the other end of penalty kicks, falling in heartbreaking fashion to crosstown rival King’s in a Freedom Conference semifinal. Marywood (6-8-4) earned its seventh consecutive conference playoff berth, losing to Centenary in the Colonial States Athletic Conference quarterfinals.

Muhlenberg has won 14 of 16 all-time meetings with Wilkes, but the Colonels’ two wins came in the last two years, both 2-1. Saturday’s game will be Muhlenberg’s first against Marywood.

Live stats | Live video (both games)

Men’s Soccer vs. William Paterson (Friday, 7:00)

The first game of the 72nd season of men’s soccer at Muhlenberg pairs two teams that earned postseason invitations last year. The Mules (10-8-1) advanced to the ECAC South semifinals, while William Paterson (9-9-3) reached the ECAC Metro championship match.

Muhlenberg will hope to reverse a recent trend: Its three Opening Day losses since 2005 have all come to New Jersey Athletic Conference schools – William Paterson in 2008, Richard Stockton in 2009 and Rutgers-Camden last year.

The road team has won both meetings in the series, William Paterson 3-2 at Varsity Field in 2008 and Muhlenberg 2-1 in Jersey two years ago.

Live stats | Live video

Field Hockey vs. Scranton (Friday, 7:00)

This game opens the 56th season of field hockey at Muhlenberg and matches up two solid programs that both reached their conference playoffs last year. The Mules (8-10) earned their first Centennial Conference playoff berth since 2007, and Scranton (14-6) advanced to the Landmark Conference final in its best season since 1998.

Scranton leads off a challenging early schedule: Muhlenberg’s first four opponents (all at home) – Scranton (14-6), Montclair State (21-2), Elizabethtown (14-6) and Drew (16-4) – all had outstanding records last year.

Muhlenberg holds a 7-5 lead in a series in which the home team has won every meeting but two. Last year, Scranton broke a 1-1 tie on a penalty stroke with 2:37 left to avenge a 2-1 overtime loss in Allentown in the 2012 season opener.

Live stats

Volleyball at Battlefield Classic: vs. Alfred (Friday, 3:00); vs. Salve Regina (Friday, 7:00); vs. Carnegie Mellon (Saturday, 10:00); vs. Gallaudet (Saturday, 2:00)

Muhlenberg travels to Gettysburg to open its season at a highly competitive tournament. Alfred struggled last year, going only 3-27, but Salve Regina was 26-5 and earned an ECAC Tournament bid, and Carnegie Mellon (25-10) and Gallaudet (23-14) both played in the NCAA Tournament.

The Mules are coming off an outstanding season of their own. They finished with a record of 20-12 and reached the Centennial Conference championship match.

Tournament site

Cross Country at Lehigh Invitational (Friday, 5:30)

The Muhlenberg teams open their season at a meet that includes Division I teams Lehigh, Delaware, LIU-Brooklyn and West Virginia. The Mules will also get to test their abilities vs. local Division III rivals DeSales and Moravian as well as Centennial Conference foe Ursinus. At last year’s Lehigh Invitational, Muhlenberg’s men and women placed fourth and sixth, respectively, both finishing ahead of Division I squads.

Weekend Preview – November 2, 2013

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Two Muhlenberg teams will be competing for the Centennial Conference championships, two others have already qualified to do so, and two more will try to play their way in. Plus, football’s Homecoming and the start of winter sports.

Cross Country at McDaniel for Centennial Conference Championships (Saturday, 11:00 and 12:00)

The Mules will face strong competition at the conference meet, including several nationally ranked teams in both the men’s and women’s races. Last year, the women finished fourth and the men fifth.

Complete preview: http://www.muhlenberg.edu/main/athletics/fall13/1031.html

Meet site: http://www.mcdanielathletics.com/sports/wxc/2013-14/cc-champs/index

Volleyball vs. Swarthmore (Saturday, 12:00); vs. Moravian (Saturday, 4:00)

Muhlenberg (18-10, 7-2) hosts two important matches – for different reasons – on the final day of the regular season. The Mules have clinched a CC playoff berth and can land a bye to the semifinals (where they would face McDaniel) if they can beat Swarthmore (15-11, 3-6). A loss could drop Muhlenberg to the 4-5 match, which it would host on Wednesday.

In the second match, the Mules will be playing for school pride (and possibly its first 20-win season since 2001) against a 10-20 Greyhound squad that had lost nine in a row heading into a Friday night match. Moravian took a 3-2 lead in the Matte Award race with a women’s soccer win on Wednesday, and the volleyball team has a chance to even the standings up.

Muhlenberg trails the all-time series against both Swarthmore (17-16) and Moravian (40-9) and has lost five straight to both.

Live stats (both Muhlenberg matches): http://www.muhlenberg.edu/sports/vblive/topview.htm

Football vs. Dickinson (Saturday, 1:00)

Although it’s Family Weekend at Muhlenberg, it’s homecoming weekend for the football team, which has not played a home game in almost a month. The Mules (5-2, 4-2) have won each of their last three games by at least 20 points and will look to continue their roll.

Dickinson (3-4, 3-3) has the third-best rushing attack in the CC and attempted only seven passes in last week’s 38-31 win against McDaniel. But the Devils’ starting quarterback, who ranks second among CC QBs in rushing yards, was injured last week. Muhlenberg is second in the CC against the run, allowing only 114.4 yards per game.

The Mules lead the all-time series, 41-25-2, and have taken 12 of the last 14 meetings, including a 61-21 win last year and a 12-0 shutout in the snow two years ago.

Live stats: http://www.muhlenberg.edu/sports/livestats/xlive.htm

Women’s Soccer vs. Bryn Mawr (Saturday, 1:00)

Despite losing four in a row, Muhlenberg (6-10-1, 4-5) can clinch a CC playoff berth for the second straight year by defeating Bryn Mawr in its regular-season finale. If the Mules win, they will travel to either McDaniel or Dickinson for a first-round game on Wednesday.

The Owls (2-14, 0-9) are winless in their last 17 CC contests and have scored only four goals all season, but they recently snapped a 13-game losing streak with an overtime win against Moravian, a team Muhlenberg just lost to.

Muhlenberg has won 19 straight meetings against Bryn Mawr to take a 20-2 series lead. The Owls have been shut out in their last eight trips to Allentown, dating back to 1996.

Live stats: http://www.muhlenberg.edu/sports/wsoclive/xlive.htm

Field Hockey vs. Haverford (Saturday, 6:00)

Muhlenberg (8-8, 6-3) is in the CC playoffs for the first time since 2007 and, unless nationally ranked Ursinus unexpectedly loses to last-place Swarthmore, will face Haverford in a first-round game on Wednesday. The winner of this contest will get to host the rematch.

The Fords (9-7, 5-4) have clinched their fifth straight playoff berth; they reached the CC championship game in 2010 and last year. A Mule defense that is second in the CC in fewest goals allowed in league games (11) faces a Haverford offense has scored 14 goals in its last three games.

Muhlenberg leads the all-time series, 15-11, but Haverford has won four of the last five meetings.

Live stats: http://www.muhlenberg.edu/sports/fhlive/xlive.htm

Men’s Soccer at McDaniel (Saturday, 3:30)

Muhlenberg (8-7-1, 3-4-1) needs a win and lots of help to make the CC playoffs. But in such a competitive league, almost every game is close and anything is possible.

First and foremost, the Mules must defeat last-place McDaniel (7-6-3, 1-5-2). The Green Terror started off the season with five straight wins, earned a regional ranking and was 6-1-3 a month ago but has lost five of its last six.

Muhlenberg leads the all-time series, 32-7-1, and has never lost to McDaniel: The Mules’ last series loss came in 2001 when the school was still known as Western Maryland. In 11 meetings since, Muhlenberg is 10-0-1 with a 18-1 scoring margin.

Live stats: http://www.mcdanielathletics.com/livestats/landing

Wrestling at Monarch Invitational (Saturday, 9:00)

Muhlenberg opens its 2013-14 season with its annual trip to King’s for a 12-team tournament.

Results (to be updated throughout the day): http://eztourns.com/2013listings.php

Play of the Week – October 21-27, 2013

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Male Play of the Week – Cody Geyer, Football

It’s not long before this weekly feature will be renamed the Cody Geyer Film Festival. The junior wide receiver made another spectacular, impactful play in the football team’s 27-7 win at Juniata on Saturday.

The Mules had a good first half offensively but were held to three total points on consecutive long second-quarter drives inside the 15-yard line, and the Eagles had a chance to go into the locker room down by less than a touchdown and due to get the ball to start the second half.

After the defense forced a punt, Muhlenberg regained possession on its own 36 with 1:18 to go in the half. On third-and-10, Joe Carlucci threw a 15-yard pass to Geyer, who spun out of a tackle and was off to the races.

Instead of 13-7, Juniata was now down 20-7 and never recovered. The Eagles didn’t get inside the Mule 35 the rest of the game, and Geyer added a 10-yard touchdown run in the third quarter to cap the scoring.

Click for video of the 64-yard touchdown play (with the 10-yard run added as a bonus): Cody Geyer vs. Juniata

Geyer has made a play of at least 60 yards in three straight games.

Female Play of the Week – Kayleigh Thies, Field Hockey

Geyer has some company this week in another player with a knack for making big plays – junior Kayleigh Thies of the field hockey team.

The second-leading scorer in the Centennial Conference was involved in three of Muhlenberg’s five goals last week, and in two come-from-behind wins in which the Mules led for only 20 of 160 minutes, they were all important.

Muhlenberg had a big advantage in shots against Widener but was tied 1-1 before Thies ended the game five minutes into double overtime. Emily Boyle started the winning play by setting up Thies on a breakaway, but the goalie came out to break up the shot attempt. The ball came back out to Boyle, who again fed Thies for the winner.

Against 15th-ranked Ursinus, the Mules trailed 2-0 before Thies changed the momentum with a goal in the final minute of the first half. She dribbled around a defender off a penalty corner and blasted the ball in with just 44.5 seconds on the clock.

Early in the second half, Thies passed to Boyle for the tying goal on a breakaway. An own goal eight minutes later proved to be the difference in the 3-2 upset win.

Click for video of all three goals: Kayleigh Thies plays

Athletes of the Week – October 21-27, 2013

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Kayleigh ThiesFemale Athlete of the Week – Kayleigh Thies, Field Hockey

Thies, also named Centennial Conference player of the week, recorded two goals and an assist – all important ones – in a pair of one-goal wins for the Mules. After netting the game-winning goal in double overtime against Widener, she scored one goal and assisted on the other as Muhlenberg came back from a 2-0 deficit against nationally ranked Ursinus. The Mules went on to win, 3-2, to clinch a CC playoff berth.

Male Athlete of the Week – Offensive Line, Football

offensive line

These guys – left tackle Willie Britt, left guard Rob Municchi, center Andrew Kincaid, right guard Tommy DeVito and right tackle Bryan Auvil – are usually anonymous, but they deserve recognition for their play in the Mules’ 27-7 win at Juniata. Muhlenberg set a school record by running 97 plays, and the line did not allow a sack against a Juniata defense that came in tied for ninth in Division III in sacks per game. The Mules controlled the clock for nearly 40 minutes (39:51), converted 14 of 23 third downs and had five drives of 10 plays or more.

Athletes of the Week

Weekend Preview – October 26, 2013

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weekend previewOne Muhlenberg team has already qualified for the Centennial Conference playoffs, and three others will try to improve their chances on the second-to-last week of the regular season in all sports except football – which travels halfway across the state for an intriguing matchup.

Field Hockey vs. Ursinus (Saturday, 1:00)

Pink will be all around in the only home event of the weekend as the Mules raise money for the National Foundation for Cancer Research. The game will be played with a pink ball, and Play4theCure bracelets and t-shirts will be sold.

Play 4 Pink

Although Muhlenberg (7-7, 5-3) is in hot pursuit of a CC playoff berth, this isn’t the key game it might seem to be. Win or lose, the Mules (barring an unexpected result elsewhere) will still have to defeat Haverford in next Saturday’s regular-season finale to nail down the playoff spot. A win would put Muhlenberg in better position to host a first-round game, and it would also give the Mules a strong confidence boost.

Easier said than done. Ursinus (11-3, 7-1) is ranked 15th in Division III and is coming off a 4-3 win against ninth-ranked TCNJ. The Bears’ only two Division III losses are by one goal to the teams ranked sixth and seventh, and they are second in the country in scoring, averaging five goals per game.

Muhlenberg beat Ursinus in the first meeting between the two schools in 1980 but is still looking for its second series win. Although the Bears have won all 11 meetings since joining the CC in 2003, the last two games (both 2-1) were close.

Live stats: http://www.muhlenberg.edu/sports/fhlive/xlive.htm

Football at Juniata (Saturday, 12:00)

This is a very different Juniata squad from the one the Mules have defeated handily every year since the teams became CC foes in 2007. The Eagles, who won a total of 10 games the last nine years, are 4-2 and poised for their first non-losing season since 2002.

Muhlenberg (4-2, 3-2) comes in with a hot defense, having allowed only one offensive touchdown in the last two games, and will face a hot quarterback in Ward Udinski, who accounts for 75 percent of the Juniata offense. The three-time CC player of the week was responsible for all four touchdowns in a 28-7 win against previously undefeated Ursinus last week, and stopping him will be of paramount importance for the Mules.

In its last two games, Muhlenberg has used a long punt return by Cody Geyer to grab the momentum, and the Eagles are vulnerable in that area – they’re allowing a CC-worst 17.5 yards per punt return. The Mule offense, meanwhile, has scored at least 30 points in eight of its last 11 regular-season games. Juniata is second in the CC in sacks but gives up 28.0 points per game.

Live stats/video: http://client.stretchinternet.com/client/juniata.portal

Men’s Soccer at Ursinus (Saturday, 12:00)

Muhlenberg (7-7-1, 2-4-1) is in dire need of a win to keep its CC playoff hopes alive. Ursinus (7-7-1, 3-3-1) has been one of the surprises teams in the CC this year, posting wins against nationally ranked Dickinson and Franklin & Marshall and tying nationally ranked Swarthmore earlier in the season. The Bears have tailed off a little, however, dropping three of their last four CC games.

Muhlenberg leads the all-time series, 47-10-5, and is 19-0-1 against Ursinus since the start of CC play in 1993. The Bears haven’t defeated the Mules since 1984.

Live stats/video:http://livestats.prestosports.com/ursinus/

Women’s Soccer at Ursinus (Saturday, 3:00)

The Mules (6-8-1, 4-4) are tied for fourth place in the CC and can clinch a home playoff game for the second straight year by winning their final two games – this one, and a home contest against Bryn Mawr (1-13, 0-8) next Saturday. A loss or a tie in Collegeville could lead to Muhlenberg missing the playoffs entirely.

Ursinus (6-8-1, 2-5-1) is out of the playoff picture and hasn’t won at home since August 30. But the Bears have three one-goal losses and a tie against playoff contenders, and they also lost by just one goal to regionally ranked Scranton.

Last year, Muhlenberg posted a 1-0 win at Ursinus in the final game of the regular season to clinch a home playoff game. The Mules lead the series, 14-6, but the Bears have won six of the last 11 meetings, and the last four were all decided by one goal.

Live stats/video: http://livestats.prestosports.com/ursinus/

Volleyball at E-town October Classic: vs. Elizabethtown (Saturday, 2:00); vs. Penn State Altoona or Stevens (Saturday, 4:00)

A playoff berth already in the bag, the Mules (17-8) take a break from CC play to compete in a four-team tournament. Host Elizabethtown is 15-12, while Penn State Altoona is 14-10 and Stevens is 22-5 and ranked second in the New York Region by the NCAA.

Live stats (Elizabethtown match only): http://www.sidearmstats.com/etown/wvball/

Play of the Week – October 14-20, 2013

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Allie CalifanoAllie Califano said she had never scored a late game-winning goal quite like this one in field hockey or lacrosse, which she plays at Muhlenberg, or had a game-winning shot in basketball, which she played through high school.

In recent Mule field hockey history, neither had anyone else.

Califano’s last-minute goal against Gettysburg is Muhlenberg’s play of the week. With the teams tied at 2-2 in last Friday’s game, the Mules were awarded a penalty corner with under a minute to play. Kayleigh Thies received the insertion, dribbled into the circle and passed the ball into the middle. Califano, waiting with her back to the goal, spun and one-timed the ball into the back of the cage for her first career goal with just 23.3 seconds remaining.

Click here to watch the video: Gettysburg game-winning goal

The win was an important one, putting Muhlenberg into sole possession of fourth place in the Centennial Conference with two league games remaining. Had Gettysburg won the game, the Mules would have been tied for fifth place and in a mad scramble for one of the five playoff spots.

Muhlenberg’s archives do not report the times of goals scored until 1995. Since then, Califano’s dramatic score was only the second game-winner in the final minute of regulation, and the first in the last half-minute. Here are the top 10 latest Mule game-winning goals since 1995, ranked by time remaining:

  • :23.3, Allie Califano vs. Gettysburg, 2013
  • :53, Jess Kasza vs. Haverford, 2009
  • 1:04, Kelly Gower vs. FDU-Madison, 1998
  • 1:11, Jess Kasza vs. Washington, 2009
  • 1:19, Beth Hughes vs. King’s, 1998
  • 2:06, Nicki Notarianni vs. Widener, 2009
  • 2:10, Kristen Bruschi vs. Washington, 2002
  • 2:28, Laura Diez vs. Gettysburg, 2002
  • 3:12, Tara Cohn vs. Elizabethtown, 2009
  • 3:50, LisaAnn Polt vs. Susquehanna, 2003