The Topping name has been synonymous with Muhlenberg men’s soccer over
the span of the last eight years. At least for now, it will end following
the 2001 season, with its most current member leaving a strong mark of
hard work and determination.
Senior midfielder Peter Topping is the last of a current generation of
Topping brothers to play for the Mules. He had two older brothers play for
Coach Jeff Tipping, Shane (’00) and
Sean (’98), with Sean moving on to become an assistant coach from
1999-00. “They both were great influences on my soccer
career and decision to attend and play for Muhlenberg,” Peter recalls.
“During some of Sean’s years, they had great teams that won
conference championships and made postseason appearances,
and it gave me an opportunity to meet and talk with Coach
Tipping.”
Injuries, mainly stemming from a torn MCL midway through his sophomore
season, have hampered his career numbers, but Topping’s importance to
Muhlenberg stems far beyond his statistics. He poses as a leader both on
the field and off, and particularly this season as one of five seniors on
the roster. “Everyone has become good friends on this team, partly
because we hang out off the field as well as competing together on it. We
have a great freshman class who really have adjusted well to college life
and this team’s chemistry, and they know that if they need anything,
soccer-related or otherwise, we’re here for them.”
Experience isn’t something that Topping possesses only on the soccer
field and the Muhlenberg campus. He studied abroad for a semester at the
University of Maastricht in the Netherlands, which was an extremely
beneficial trip to accommpany his international business major. “It
was a great experience and I got to do a lot of traveling,” said
Topping. “The only downfall to the trip was that I did not get to see
any soccer games because all of the major teams were on road trips.”
Although Topping already has a full resume following the overseas
experience, his immediate plans after graduation are not as certain.
“The market could be bad when I get out into the real world, so I am
not in any hurry to jump into anything. Eventually, I would like to work
with the government as an international ambassador or diplomat, which
would be a nice fit with my major and also my political science
minor.”
While Topping continues to ponder his future career plans, he is sure
about the future of the Mule soccer team. “This team is very confident
about this season and has a lot of skill and, more importantly, depth to
support that confidence. Coach can sub in anybody at anytime and that
person is more than capable of getting the job done and the team loses
nothing in the process, which is such an important attribute that not
every team is lucky enough to possess.” Topping is right on the mark
so far as the Mules are off to a positive 4-1 start and are ranked fifth
in the Mid-Atlantic Region.
Topping feels the Mules have “fight,” which might also be the best
way to sum up his career. He has battled through injury and worked hard to
set an example for the “family” of younger Mule players to follow
and guide them throughout their Muhlenberg careers.
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IMPORTANT SATURDAY FOR SOCCER TEAMS
Women Host Hopkins, Men at Gettysburg
Who: Johns Hopkins (5-0-1, 1-0-1) at Muhlenberg (6-2, 1-0)
What: A showdown between the two teams that tied for first in the
Centennial Conference preseason women’s soccer poll. Last year, the
Mules won the championship, but their only loss in league play was to the
Blue Jays.
When: Saturday, September 22, 1:00
Where: Varsity Field
Series Record: Johns Hopkins holds a 5-3-1 lead in a series in
which six of the games ended with a 1-0 score. In 1999, Muhlenberg pulled
out a 1-0 regular-season win when Hopkins was ranked 12th in Division III,
then won on penalty kicks after the teams played to a 1-1 tie in the ECAC
Mid-Atlantic championship game. The Blue Jays’ 1-0 win in Baltimore
last year is the Mules’ only loss in their last 17 CC games.
Scouting the Blue Jays: Johns Hopkins had its 15-game winning
streak snapped when it battled Dickinson to a 0-0 tie on Wednesday. Junior
goaltender Shannon O’Malley made a diving stop of a penalty kick in
the first half to help preserve the shutout. The Blue Jays, who have
recorded a record-setting nine consecutive shutouts (including six this
season), are outscoring their opponents 18-0. Freshman Jen
Baldwin leads the offense with five goals, four assists and 14 points.
Scouting the Mules: Muhlenberg won its fourth straight game with a
3-0 victory over Delaware Valley on Wednesday. The Mules have outscored
their opponents 13-1 during the win streak. Sophomore Dawn Iberer scored a
goal for the fourth straight game, while sophomore Courtney Levine notched
her second goal of the season and freshman Rachael Scott tallied her first
career goal. Iberer, the CC player of the week, leads the Mules with 15
points on seven goals and an assist. Freshman Rebecca Armstrong has a
team-leading three assists.
For Muhlenberg to win ...: “We really need to put a lot of
pressure on the ball and not let them have open shots,” says junior
back Katy Hawkins. “And we need to score. If we can put it in the back
of
the net early, I think we’ll be all right.”
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Who: Muhlenberg (4-1, 1-0) at Gettysburg (6-1, 1-0)
What: A meeting between the two teams that tied for second place in
the Centennial Conference in 2000 and two of the “Big Three”
(along with Johns Hopkins) who have combined to win every CC men’s
soccer championship.
When: Saturday, September 22, 1:00
Where: Gettysburg
Series Record: Muhlenberg has a 23-16-5 series lead and has not
lost at Gettysburg in the regular season since 1993. Last year, the two
teams split, with the Mules winning the regular-season meeting, 2-1, and
the Bullets earning a 1-0 win in the ECAC Mid-Atlantic championship game.
Scouting the Bullets: Gettysburg, ranked fourth in the region,
improved to 6-1 (its best start since 1998) with a 2-1 win at York on
Wednesday. Sophomore Will Hohman – the brother of Muhlenberg assistant
coach Johan Hohman – and senior Michael McLaughlin scored the goals,
the first of the season for both. The Bullets’ lone loss, 6-0 to
defending national champion Messiah, snapped a 33-match home unbeaten
streak. Juniors Mike Bevilacqua and Michael Bruno are tied for the team
lead with seven points apiece.
Scouting the Mules: Muhlenberg, ranked fifth in the region,
improved to 4-1 (its best start since 1997) with a 3-1 win at Moravian on
Monday. Senior Chris Rowley recorded a goal and an assist for his first
points of the season, while juniors Tom Hartey and David Vassilaros also
netted goals. Vassilaros leads the team with three goals on the season.
The Mules’ lone loss was 1-0 in overtime to unbeaten, 17th-ranked
Drew.
For Muhlenberg to win ...: “I think we need to play like we did
against Drew — good, smart soccer with a lot of intensity,” says
junior back Quentin McDowell. “When you play against a good team, it
usually comes down to heart and the will to win.”
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