Athletics: Men's Soccer
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Coaching Staff:
Head Coach Sean Topping
Sean Topping was named head coach of the Muhlenberg men's soccer team in the summer of 2002 and has led the Mules to an outstanding 108-48-17 (.673) record, two Centennial Conference championships and four NCAA bids (including one "Sweet 16" appearance) in his nine seasons.
Topping became just the second coach in program history to win 100 games when the Mules shut out Gettysburg, 4-0, on Sept. 25, 2010. He needed just 158 games to reach the milestone.
Topping’s 2003 squad went 9-0 in the CC, won the league championship and reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament. In 2005, Muhlenberg was ranked as high as 13th in Division III and won the conference title as the third seed.
The 2007 team finished in a three-way tie for the CC regular-season title and earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament.
In 2009, the Mules won the CC regular-season title with a 7-1-1 record and earned
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The 2010 squad set a school record by going undefeated in its first 15 games. The Mules went on on to reach the "Sweet 16" of the NCAA Tournmament and were ranked 12th in the final Division III poll.
In his nine seasons, Topping has coached four All-Americans, two Academic All-Americans, one conference player of the year and 18 first-team All-CC selections.
A 1998 graduate of Muhlenberg, Topping was a four-year letterwiner for the Mules and and co-captain of the 1997 Centennial Conference championship team. He was named to the All-CC first team as a back in 1996 and as a midfielder in 1997 and earned all-region honors both seasons.
Topping served as an assistant coach at Muhlenberg in 1999 and 2000 and was head men’s and women’s coach at Franklin College in Lugano, Switzerland, during the 2001-02 school year.
Assistant Coach AJ Barnold
AJ Barnold returns to his alma mater for his first season as a member of the Mule coaching staff. A 2009 Muhlenberg graduate, Barnold was a three-year letterwinner for the Mules and was named a first-team All-Centennial Conference back during his senior season. He was also named to the Centennial Conference Academic Honor Roll that fall. Barnold has played for FC Sonic of the National Premier Soccer League the past three years and currently works as a program coordinator in Muhlenberg's Academic Resource Center.
Assistant Coach Jeff Person
Jeff Person returns to Muhlenberg for his 12th season on the sidelines. Last season he helped the Mules climb as high as No. 18 in the national rankings and claim the Centennial Conference regular-season title. During his first tenure at Muhlenberg, from 1990-1999, the Mules were an astonishing 137-43-17 (.739) and won Centennial Conference championships in 1994, 1995, and 1997. The program made its only Final Four appearance in ’95, finishing the season ranked third in the nation. Prior to his time at Muhlenberg, Person coached at Salisbury High School in Allentown for 17 years, winning five Colonial League championships and three consecutive District XI titles (1985-87). He taught mathematics at Salisbury for 28 years before retiring in June 1999.
Assistant Coach Bob Pipech
Boasting considerable playing and coaching experience, Bob Pipech III joins the Mule staff as goalkeepers coach. A 2006 graduate of St. Francis University of Pennsylvania, Pipech led the Northeast Conference in saves, save percentage and goals against average in his time as a member of the Red Flash. During the past two seasons, Pipech played for both the Pocono Snow and the Pennsylvania Stoners of the NPSL. He also made coaching stops at Pleasant Valley and Palmerton high schools, as well as various club teams. Pipech currently resides in Effort and teaches mathematics at Pen Argyl Area High School.