ALLENTOWN, Pa. - The sixth-seeded Dickinson men's soccer team seemed destined for extra time on Tuesday night against the host third-seeded Muhlenberg College in the First Round of the Centennial Conference tournament. Unfortunately, for the Red and White an own goal in the 77th-minute set the wheels in motion for the Mules to secure a 2-1 win at Varsity Field.
The home side applied pressure right off the bat as just a minute in Taylan Akdag played in a corner that found the head of Chris Richards who nodded the ball just wide of
Nick Potter in net. Over the next ten minutes neither side mounted much of an attack until Sebastian Tis let a shot fly at Potter who steered it away in the 13th. Dickinson finally recorded their first chance of the match with 19:36 off the clock when
Ethan Jarden was shutdown by Mules keeper Ben Mulford. Muhlenberg posted the next two chances of the period with Andrew Gaines and Jake Mendelson both being stopped by Potter between the sticks. Another home corner resulted in a header for Sam Roberts that took off high over the net. The Devils attempted to go into the break with the lead, but
Alex Spiegel missed the mark to send the match to halftime.
The Devils began the second period by recording the first shot when
Connor Uitterdijk sent a blast over Mulford's head, while at the other end Brandin Osborne was unable to bother Potter with 53 minutes elapsed. The Mules tried to build on the offering from Osborne by tallying the ensuing three chances with Greyson King, Richards and Tis tasking Potter with making two more saves to keep it scoreless into the 65th. At the 65:39 mark Dickinson had their chance to go on top when their leading goal-scorer
Saul Iwowo worked himself free for a look, but once again Mulford was there to close the door. That stop would be the biggest momentum shift in the match as the Mules scored on their next two chances. First a cross played in from the left wing by Zack Mikuta hit a DC defender and skipped past Potter, before a cross coming from the right off the foot of Caleb Herring glanced off the head of Andrew Gaines into the net for a 2-0 edge entering the final ten minutes. The Devils would pull one back in the 82nd when a shot from
Johnny Diederich was stopped by Mulford, but
Ethan Jarden pounced on the rebound and let a strike fly past Mulford to cut it down to 2-1. However, Muhlenberg posted the final two chances of the match as Potter turned away both Richards and Kevin Adams six-seconds apart. Dickinson pushed forward once more during the 88th-minute, unfortunately for the Red and White they were deemed to be in an offside position allowing the Mules to secure the win.
Red Devil Leaders
Goals - Jarden (1)
Shots - Jarden (3), Iwowo, Spiegel and Uitterdijk (1)
Saves - Potter (7)
Mule Leaders
Goals - Gaines and Team (1)
Shots - Richards (3), Gaines and Tis (2)
Saves - Mulford (3)
Next on the Pitch
Dickinson (9-7-2, 3-4-2 Centennial) will now turn their attention towards the 2024 season, while the Mules will advance to the CC Semifinals on Friday and take on second-seeded Franklin & Marshall.
