It was a tale of three seasons for the Muhlenberg men’s soccer

Ramirez scored two goals in the CC tournament, including the game-winner against Swarthmore.

team, and when the tale ended, the Mules were Centennial Conference champions. The Mules finished the season 13-6 overall and earned the third seed in the conference tournament with a 6-3 record in the CC.

Muhlenberg started the season on fire and climbed as high as 13th in the nation thanks to a 5-0 start. The Mules struggled through the middle of the schedule, scoring just eight goals during a 4-5 stretch. However, Muhlenberg put it together at the right time with a pair of wins to end the regular season and two more to capture its second Centennial Conference championship in three years. The Mules tied Johns Hopkins with five championships apiece since the conference formed in 1993.

The Mules avenged an earlier loss to Gettysburg, shutting out the fifth seed, 2-0, in the championship game, after a 3-0 blanking of second-seeded Swarthmore in the semifinals. Senior forward Christopher King, one of eight seniors on the team, scored the game-winner against the Bullets and led the conference with 13 goals and 30 points, earning a spot on the All-CC first team.

Despite getting a home game in the first round of the NCAAs, Muhlenberg’s postseason was cut short as Wesleyan (Conn.) won a 3-2 decision in overtime.

Muhlenberg’s season started with a pair of victories against

Nine of King’s 19 career goals were game-winners, including five in 2005 to tie for the conference lead.

Claremont and Kings Point at the Dr. Al Tucci Kickoff Classic in Baltimore. The Mules then went on to defeat Wilkes and Moravian before opening up the conference schedule with a 4-2 victory over rival Johns Hopkins, propelling the team to 13th in the nation.

The Mules went 4-5 over their next nine, dropping out of the national and regional rankings. Muhlenberg dropped a pair of one-goal games to regionally ranked DeSales and Elizabethtown and a pair of conference games to teams that would not qualify for the postseason, Franklin & Marshall and Dickinson, and a double-overtime contest at Gettysburg. The Mules defeated Washington (Md.), McDaniel, Drew and gave Swarthmore its first conference loss of the season during that stretch.

Muhlenberg finished the regular season with a pair of wins against Haverford and Ursinus to capture the third seed in the CC tournament. The offense also started clicking, recording four and three goals, respectively, in the contests, and setting the team up for its CC tournament run.

Smallwood, a four-year starter at back, helped the Mules hold the opposition to 0.95 goals per game during that stretch.

Muhlenberg tied Johns Hopkins for the CC lead with 2.05 goals per game. The Mules also had the most assists in the conference with 31. Sophomore midfielder Jonathan Kliewer tied for the conference lead with seven of them. Senior midfielder Jose Ramirez tied for third with six, and King and senior forward James Henshaw tied for sixth with four.

Senior backs Adam Milberg, Ryan Smallwood and Joseph Benner led a defense that came up big when it mattered most. Along with sophomore goalie Peter Bennett, Muhlenberg allowed just three goals in its final six conference games, including the playoffs.

Ramirez and Milberg joined King on the All-CC first team. Smallwood was named to the second team, while Henshaw received honorable mention. It was the second consecutive year these five Mules were on the All-CC team. Muhlenberg’s eight seniors led the team to a 26-9-1 CC record and two Centennial championships in their four years.