Championship Central
The Centennial Conference championship finalists from each of the past three seasons - Muhlenberg and Johns Hopkins - both advanced to the semifinals with triumphs in Tuesday's first round of the CC Men's Soccer Championship.
The action began with an afternoon matchup in Haverford, Pa., with sixth-seeded Muhlenberg outlasting third-seeded Haverford 5-3 in penalty kicks. The two sides were tied at 1-1 through 110 minutes of action before heading to PKs.
Owen Zoeller broke a scoreless deadlock in the 61st minute with a rocket shot from well outside the box for his first goal of the season. It also broke a long scoring drought for the Mules (8-2-9), who were shut out in their last five CC games. The Fords (10-0-10) tied the game by putting in a direct kick from Juan Rivera from just outside the box in the 82nd minute.
The Mules then delivered a perfect round of penalty kicks to win the shootout 5-3 and earn the right to travel to top-seeded Dickinson for a semifinal game on Friday at 5 p.m.
In Baltimore, Md., fourth-seeded Johns Hopkins (7-6-6) continued its late-season push with its third consecutive 1-0 victory, this one over visiting and fifth-ranked McDaniel (8-5-4) in the first round of the Centennial Conference Tournament at Homewood Field on Tuesday night. With the win, the fourth-seeded Blue Jays advance to Friday's semifinals, where they will travel to take on second-seeded Gettysburg at 5 p.m.
In a game featuring just 15 shots and four corners, great chances were at a premium as both defenses were able to limit the scoring opportunities throughout. The Blue Jays broke through in the 41st minute as Jackson Shapiro collected a feed from Liam Bridges and quickly chipped a pass to Alex Gardner cutting through the middle. Gardner was able to quickly settle possession, turn and send a rocket to the top of the goal to give the Blue Jays the one-goal lead for the game's only score.
FIRST ROUND: Tuesday, Nov. 4 | at #3 & #4 seeds
#6 Muhlenberg ties #3 Haverford, 1-1 (MUH advances 5-3 in penalty kicks) | Box Score
#4 Johns Hopkins d. #5 McDaniel, 1-0 | Box Score
SEMIFINALS: Friday, Nov. 7 | at #1 & #2 seeds
#4 Johns Hopkins at #2 Gettysburg, 5 p.m. | BUY TICKETS
#6 Muhlenberg at #1 Dickinson, 5 p.m. | BUY TICKETS
CHAMPIONSHIP: Sunday, Nov. 9 | at highest remaining seed
Semifinal winners, TBA
