With an even 2-2-1 start to the season under their belts, the men’s soccer squad took to the field on Saturday to host the Muhlenberg Mules, the team’s first Centennial Conference match of the season.
Having not won since Sept. 6, McDaniel (2-3-1, 0-1) looked toward their limited senior players to lead the team to their first win against Muhlenberg since 2012.
Things would not turn in their favor, however, as the Mules (2-3-1, 1-0) scored two come-from-behind goals in the second half to extend their winning streak against the Green Terror to three games in as many years.
The first action of the game came from a goal from McDaniel’s Carlos Valdez Martin. The freshman’s first goal of his collegiate career came in the 39th minute, assisted by Andrew Hofmeister, the senior’s second this season.
The half would finish out tied at one apiece thanks to an unassisted goal from Muhlenberg’s Noah Fulcomer that he chipped over the head of McDaniel goalie Nick Over in the 45th minute.
Two yellow cards were drawn in the first, one for McDaniel’s Jack Nickel and the second for Muhlenber’s Christian Wieand, part of a combined 15-foul first half.
After a mostly silent start to the second half, the Mules took the lead for good in the 65th minute when Phil Rahling assisted Jeff Ramley in finding the back of the empty net.
The Mules scored once more in the 80th minute, a Jack Dusing unassisted goal, to take the game by a final score of 3-1. The goal came as the result of a penalty kick awarded after a red card called against McDaniel’s junior defender Kerry Shutt.
The game ended with a total of 24 fouls, 14 on the Terror and 10 on the Mules, including a total of five yellow cards, three on McDaniel and two on Muhlenberg, and the lone Green Terror red card.
The Mules outshot McDaniel 13-7, nine of them on goal, while the Green Terror had the chance with eight corner kicks to the Mules’ three.
While a tough loss, McDaniel head coach Steve Corrieri has said, when asked about the game he most looks forward to this season, that “every game in conference is a challenge,” a statement that Muhlenberg and McDaniel proved in this game.
McDaniel will play their next game on Tuesday, Sept. 22 at 4:00 p.m., hosting Penn St.-Harrisburg (2-2-1) in a non-conference match-up.
