M. soccer falls to Muhlenberg

The Hopkins men's soccer team dropped a conference match to Muhlenberg on Saturday night, falling 2-1 in a game that did not see any  Blue Jay scoring until the 84th minute. The loss dropped the Jays to 8-5-2 overall and 2-4-1 in the Centennial Conference, while Muhlenberg's win boosted the Mules into third place in the conference at 10-1-2 overall and 5-1-1 in the conference. The crowd at Homewood Field saw a chippy, physical conference match featuring five yellow cards, including four in the second half.  Muhlenberg's defense was stingy, allowing just four shots on goal, all of which were heavily defended and able to be turned away by Mule goalie Danny Pinto. Just two minutes into the match, Muhlenberg was awarded a free kick and elected to have sophomore midfielder Jack Dusing take it. Dusing sent a precise pass into the box to teammate Lance Dotzman, who corralled it before scorching it past Jay senior goalkeeper Nick Cerrone. That early goal set the tone for a game that the Mules would be in control of all evening long. Muhlenberg scored again in the 25th minute as senior midfielder Travis Wantchekon beat his defender with a nifty move from the left side and rifled a shot past Cerrone into the far corner to extend the Mules’ lead to 2-0. The physicality of the match increased after the second Muhlenberg goal, with Hopkins desperate to mount a comeback and the Mules determined to preserve their lead. Three yellow cards were issued in just a nine-minute span, with the Mules collecting four for the game, while the Jays had one.  Physical tackling and intense defense negated any scoring chances on both sides. In the 84th minute, the Jays got their first legitimate opportunity to score when the Mules were whistled for a handball inside the box, resulting in a free kick that would ruin the shutout. The Jays picked the right man for the job, electing to have senior striker Kotaro Mitsuhashi, the team's leader in points and goals scored, take the kick. Mitsuhashi chose the right spot for his kick, putting it just by the diving goalie for his seventh goal of the season. Despite a furious effort by the Jays to score again before time expired, they were unable to get another good opportunity before the final buzzer sounded. The Jays, since Saturday's defeat, have been preparing for a weekend tilt to close out the season with Washington College on Saturday at 4:30 p.m.