Monday Morning Mule – September 29, 2014

Posted on September 29, 2014 by sportsinfo

Senior Kayleigh Thies stopped by the Muhlenberg men’s soccer game after field hockey practice on Wednesday night and thought, “I’m going to get me one of those.”

Well, that’s not exactly how it worked out. Thies arrived just for the end of the game, too late to see classmate Lance Dotzman complete his first career hat trick in an 8-2 win against DeSales. But 48 hours later, it was Thies notching her first career hat trick in a 5-2 defeat of Johns Hopkins.

Hat tricks are somewhat rare in both sports, but less common in soccer. Dotzman’s was only the fourth for the Mule men’s soccer team since 2000. The field hockey team has had 13 hat tricks, including the one by Thies, since 2000.

The last field hockey hat trick until Friday night came in 2008 by Nicki Notarianni, whose younger sister Claire is a freshman on this year’s team.

And if a recent trend continues, Thies will have company soon. Every time a Muhlenberg field hockey player has recorded a hat trick since 2000, a teammate also recorded a hat trick later in the season.

The last time Muhlenberg saw hat tricks in both men’s soccer and field hockey in the same season was 2008 (a year that also included a hat trick by a women’s soccer player, making it a hat trick of hat tricks). And since 1980, the shortest period of time between a men’s soccer hat trick and a field hockey hat trick had been four days, in 1988.

More important than the historical significance of the two hat tricks was that they came in wins. And both teams will look for more significant contributions from their hat-tricksters in key games this week. Undefeated men’s soccer (6-0-2) hosts Swarthmore Tuesday night in a matchup of two teams that were ranked in the NSCAA top 25 last week, while field hockey (5-2) travels to Haverford Wednesday to face a team that it lost to twice last year – once in the Centennial Conference playoffs.

Football: It’s been a season of many happy returns for the Muhlenberg football team.

The Mules did not score an offensive touchdown in Saturday’s 42-26 loss to Johns Hopkins, but they had the ball with a chance to go ahead in the fourth quarter because they scored in other ways: on a 41-yard blocked punt return by Josh Messina and a 66-yard interception return by Jeremey Thomas.

It was the second time this season Muhlenberg scored in both of those ways. Matt Pagano returned a blocked punt 25 yards for a score in the Homecoming game against Franklin & Marshall, and Chris Flynn brought an interception back 31 yards for a score last week at McDaniel.

That gives the Mules four touchdowns on returns this year, the most since the 2006 team scored five non-offensive TDs. Less than halfway through the season, Muhlenberg is just two short of the school record for touchdowns on returns, set in 1947 and matched in 1999 and 2002.

The Mules have already tied the record for most blocked punts for touchdowns in a season, previously achieved in 2002 and 2012.

Flynn and Thomas are the first pair of Mules to return interceptions for touchdowns in back-to-back weeks since John McCusker and Chuck Smith scored on pick-sixes (although they probably weren’t called that then) in games against Ursinus and Dickinson, respectively, in 1977. Touchdowns on interception returns in three straight weeks hasn’t happened since 1947.

Volleyball: The Muhlenberg volleyball team was presented with a schedule that would show right away where it stood in the Centennial Conference.

So where do the Mules stand? On top.

On Saturday, Muhlenberg completed an 11-day stretch in which it played the other three 2013 CC semifinalists. The Mules defeated all three, including defending regular-season champion Franklin & Marshall and defending tournament champion Johns Hopkins.

The league figures to be as competitive as it has ever been, top to bottom, so the 3-0 start is just that – a start. It’s the first time the Mules are 3-0 in the CC since1994; the team’s best CC start (4-0) came in 1993, the first year of the league’s existence. This year’s team can match that with a home win Saturday against Dickinson.

Before that, Muhlenberg will face a Moravian team it has already defeated this year. A win Wednesday would put the Mules at 16-2 for the first time ever. The 1992 and 1993 squads both started out 15-2 but lost their 18^th match.

Muhlenberg’s eight-match winning streak is tied for the third-longest in program history. The school record is 11, set in 1993.

Weekend Preview – September 26-28, 2014

Posted on September 26, 2014 by sportsinfo

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.

Live stats | Live video

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.

Live stats | Live video

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.

Live video

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.

Live stats | Live video

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.

Live stats/video

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.

Monday Morning Mule – September 22, 2014

Posted on September 22, 2014 by sportsinfo

Goals scored by opponents have been extremely rare at Muhlenberg soccer games in 2014. Losses suffered by the Mules have been rarer still.

The two Muhlenberg teams played four times last week and combined to go 2-0-2, allowing only one goal in the four games, three of which went into overtime.

That’s how it’s been all year for the Mules, who have little company in Division III when it comes to soccer success this fall.

• Muhlenberg is one of only four schools in Division III with two undefeated soccer teams:

Muhlenberg women 6-0-1 men 5-0-1
Emory women 4-0-2 men 7-0-1
Luther women 7-0 men 6-0
Messiah women 7-0 men 8-0

• Muhlenberg is one of only two schools in Division III whose soccer teams have combined to allow three goals or fewer:

Muhlenberg women 6-0-1, 2GA; men 5-0-1, 1GA
Texas-Tyler women 4-1, 2GA; men 4-0-1, 1 GA

• The Mule men are tied with four other teams for the Division III lead in fewest goals allowed this season:

Muhlenberg 5-0-1, 1GA
Lycoming 6-0-2, 1GA
Middlebury 4-0-1, 1GA
Oneonta State 6-0-1, 1GA
Texas-Tyler 4-0-1, 1GA

Muhlenberg allowed its goal in the first game of the season and has a current unscored-upon streak of 518 minutes. The Mules have recorded five straight shutouts for the first time since 2009; the last time they had six clean sheets in a row was 1990.

The men host DeSales, which has scored only five goals in seven games this season, on Wednesday before traveling to regionally ranked Gettysburg for their first road game of the year on Saturday. The Mules will have to go past those two teams – way past – to get to the school record for consecutive shutouts: 13, set in 1988.

Defense has been the key for the women going undefeated through their first seven games for the first time in program history. Despite using three starting goalies, the Mules have allowed only two goals and played with a lead or tied for all but 76 of their 654 minutes. And they’ve gotten just enough offense to win six of those games.

On Saturday, it was a goal by Abby Lazofsky with 54 seconds left in the first overtime that gave the Mules all the offense they needed to knock off McDaniel, 1-0. And that was rare in its own right.

The “golden goal” was the first for the Mules since a 2012 game at Gwynedd Mercy and their first at home since a 2010 game against Haverford. An overtime goal to win a game 1-0? That hadn’t happened since 2001.

The women, who posted a tie and a win against teams ranked ahead of them in the region last week, will look to keep their undefeated record intact when they host 3-3-1 Scranton tomorrow. On Saturday, they travel to nationally ranked Johns Hopkins for what is sure to be a big challenge to their undefeated and defensive accomplishments.

Weekend Preview – September 19-21, 2014

Posted on September 19, 2014 by sportsinfo

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.

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.

Eye of the Keeper

Posted on September 17, 2014 by sportsinfo

Even an emergency surgery couldn’t prevent the record start of the Muhlenberg women’s soccer team.

The regionally ranked Mules have set a program record for longest unbeaten streak to start a season – six, following a 1-1 tie with Lebanon Valley last night. Defense is a big reason why: through games of last weekend, Muhlenberg was one of only 12 teams in Division III that had played at least five games and given up fewer than two goals.

Not bad for a team that had to change goalies unexpectedly.

Jen Mermelstein

Junior Jen Mermelstein started the first two games of the season, recording shutouts in both. On the night of Tuesday, September 2, she went to bed with a stomach ache. When the pain became too great in the middle of the night, she went to the hospital.

Not long after, she underwent surgery to have her appendix removed.

That was Wednesday, two days before the Mules’ next scheduled game. Sophomore Tori Gonzalez got the news in class when a teammate texted “good luck” to her.

Although Gonzalez had no previous game experience at Muhlenberg, she was a logical choice to step into the starting role.

Mermelstein was visited by some teammates in the hospital, and the topic of her replacement came up. “We felt if someone was the most game ready, it was Tori,” she recalled.

Tori Gonzalez

Gonzalez has rewarded her teammates’ faith in her, allowing only two goals in her first four starts.

“I think she’s done a really good job,” said Mermelstein. “She didn’t have any time to mentally prepare [to be the starter]. She’s stepped up to the challenge.”

Maybe “rising up to the challenge” would be a better way to put it. Gonzalez had her own way of mentally preparing – she watched all four “Rocky” movies the night before and the day of her first start.

“I love those movies,” she said. “That got me pumped up.”

Gonzalez says she was nervous for about the first 20 minutes of her first start, against Delaware Valley, but then her years of playing goalie all came back to her and she began to feel more comfortable. Her confidence and comfort level have continued to increase since then.

Still feeling the effects of her surgery, Mermelstein attended Gonzalez’ second start, a game against Gwynedd Mercy on Saturday, September 6. It was Mermelstein’s 20^th birthday, and her presence was a sort of present for Gonzalez.

“I liked having Jen there a lot,” she said. “She’s very stable mentally and was able to help me out when I was a little bit nervous.”

Mermelstein returned to classes on September 9 and ran with the team for the first time this week. Her legs are fine, but she needs to have less pain in her upper body to be able to dive like a goalie. She hopes to return to action next week as the Mules get into the heart of their conference season.

And who will be the starting goalie then?

“I want my spot back,” admitted Mermelstein. “But if Tori is more deserving of it at the point when I come back, then why switch?”

Monday Morning Mule – September 15, 2014

Posted on September 15, 2014 by sportsinfo

Our 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.

Volleyball: 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

Posted on September 12, 2014 by sportsinfo

An 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

Posted on September 4, 2014 by sportsinfo

A 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

Posted on August 29, 2014 by sportsinfo

It’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.

The Uniform Project – Women’s Soccer

Posted on July 10, 2014 by sportsinfo

Women’s soccer is one of the youngest varsity sports at Muhlenberg. How young? We have color pictures of the very first uniforms they wore.

Women’s soccer was elevated to varsity status in 1991 and won a postseason tournament (ECAC Mid-Atlantic) in just its eighth season. The Mules have had only three head coaches in their 23-year existence – and not many more uniform styles. From 1994 to 2005, the Mule logo appeared on the left side with the number either on the right or centered, and since 2006, it’s been the word Muhlenberg, in various styles, across the top.

Previous projects have featured the sports of track and field, field hockey, men’s soccer and baseball. What team should we dress up next Thursday? Leave a comment below or tweet us at @Muhl_sports.