Mules Get First CC Win

The Muhlenberg women’s lacrosse team started strong and finished strong en route to its first Centennial Conference win of the season, 12-5 against previously undefeated Bryn Mawr.

Behind a goal and two assists from junior Christa Carlstrand, the Mules (3-4, 1-2) jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the first 10 minutes.

The Owls (5-1, 0-1), who outscored their first five opponents, 73-22, stayed close and trailed only 8-5 midway through the second half. Shannon Donohue’s second goal of the game extended Muhlenberg’s lead to 9-5. Bryn Mawr came right back down and scored, apparently drawing to within three goals again, but the goal was disallowed on a stick check.

The Mules then put the game away by scoring the final three goals, the last two by sophomore Courtney Tapkas, and keeping the Owls off the scoreboard for the final 15:41.

Carlstrand ended up tying her career high with five points, on two goals and three assists. Tapkas finished with four goals, improving her team-leading season total to 24 and her career total to 97.

Junior Diana Bleakley saved 11 shots in net, and freshman Katie Reimann picked up a team-high six ground balls to go along with her two goals.

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• Men’s Lacrosse: Gettysburg 16, Muhlenberg 3. The Bullets (5-1, 2-0) showed why they are ranked fourth in Division III, jumping out to a 9-0 second-quarter lead and breezing to the win. The loss snapped a four-game winning streak for the Mules (5-2, 0-1).

Junior Bradley Lutzer, a starter on defense, scored his first career goal in the fourth quarter and added a team-high five ground balls.

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• Men’s Tennis: Dickinson 4, Muhlenberg 3. The Mules (4-3, 1-2) won the doubles point, but Dickinson captured four of six singles matches. Junior No. 1 Jeff Kraft won easily at both doubles and singles.

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• Women’s Golf: Due to the cold weather, Muhlenberg did not participate in the Dickinson Invitational.

The Muhlenberg women’s tennis team took a big step toward winning its second Centennial Conference championship in three years, edging Franklin & Marshall, 5-4.

The Mules (7-3, 5-0) and Diplomats (4-3, 3-1) entered the match as the only two teams without a CC loss this season. Muhlenberg has five league matches left, including another big one on the road at Johns Hopkins on Sunday.

Playing without two of their regular starting players, including their No. 1, the Mules won two of the three doubles matches. In the key match, senior Mackenzie Parke and freshman Pam Kimmelman won 7-5 in a tiebreaker at No. 2 to improve to 9-1 on the season. At No. 3, sophomore Stacy Lipschutz and senior Megan Schreiber, playing together for the first time all year, won another close match, coming back from a 5-2 deficit to claim an 8-6 victory.

Muhlenberg got a break at the start of singles play at No. 6 when Schreiber’s opponent injured her ankle during warmups and could not continue, defaulting the match. Straight-set wins by Kimmelman at No. 4 and sophomore Amy Schmidt at No. 1 clinched the victory for the Mules.

Schmidt is 9-1 on the season and a perfect 6-0 when playing at No. 1. She, Kimmelman, and the doubles team of Parke and Kimmelman are all undefeated in CC matches.

Muhlenberg has defeated F&M in three consecutive seasons. Prior to 2001, the Mules had never beaten the Dips.

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