DÉJÀ VU FOR MEN’S SOCCER

Forgive the Muhlenberg men’s soccer team if it feels like it’s experienced this before.

Antonini has already eclipsed his goal total from last season, when he was All-Centennial Conference honorable mention.

Starting the scoring just past the midway point of the first half? Check.

Two more goals in the early going of the second half? Check.

A penalty kick converted by sophomore Cody Antonini? Check.

A big non-conference victory on the road? Yup, you guessed it: check.

Seemingly the only difference between the Mules’ win against Wilkes last Thursday and today’s game was the weather, as it rained for most of Muhlenberg’s 5-0 victory at Moravian in the first Matte Award contest of the 2009-10 year.

Otherwise, it was an eerie repeat for Muhlenberg, which won back-to-back road games by four goals or more for the first time since 1998.

“The last two games we really wanted wins because conference play is coming up,” said senior Nick Jones. “Both games were big confidence boosters for us.”

Miller’s run down the middle led to the Mules’ second-half penalty kick.

Muhlenberg got the scoring started at the 32:28 mark of the first half, when sophomore Andrew Lasiy trapped a cross from junior Mike Williams at the edge of the 18-yard box and buried it in the top right corner. The goal was the first of the midfielder’s career.

Six minutes later the Mules struck again, this time on a cross from junior Evan Rubin. Rubin sent

Women Lose to Top-Ranked Team Defending Division III women’s soccer champion Messiah scored just 38 seconds into the game and went on to end Muhlenberg’s three-game winning streak, 6-1. The Falcons, ranked first in the country, added a second goal at the 17:27 mark. The Mules came right back, however, as junior Lauren Petri headed in a free kick from classmate Emily Olson a mere 31 seconds later. It was only the second goal allowed by Messiah this season. Messiah bumped its lead to 3-1 less than three minutes later, then blitzed the Mules with three goals in the first 6:09 of the second half. Click here for box score.

a ball from the right side that senior Mike Gehrmann headed in for his second goal of the year.

Muhlenberg came out of halftime firing, and it didn’t take long to break the game open.

The Mules were awarded a penalty kick after senior Eric Miller was brought down in the Moravian box, and Antonini converted at the 52:12 mark. He scored again five minutes later, this time on a short cross from junior Matt Cecconi, to make it 4-0.

With the goals, Antonini has now scored in each of the team’s first five games of the season. He is the first Mule to accomplish the feat since Jeff Donald in 1978.

“We are very lucky to have Cody,” said Jones. “We can’t expect him to do what he’s doing right now every game, but he’s an amazing player.”

Freshman Danny Way scored Muhlenberg’s fifth and final goal with less than a minute to play on an assist from sophomore Tim Leischner. The goal was the first of Way’s young career.

The Mules will look to continue their impressive run on the road on Saturday, when they open conference play at Franklin & Marshall.

“We played some tough ranked opponents in non-conference play and now we’re ready for conference games,” said Jones. “We think we can win a lot of games in conference, if not all of them.”
Click here for box score.