HAVERFORD, Pa. – Colin Seitz's first-half goal stood up for Haverford College's men's soccer team as a 1-0 Centennial Conference victory over visiting Muhlenberg College ended a 10-year drought to the Mules.
The win gave Haverford (6-4, 3-1 Centennial) only its second triumph over the Mules (5-3, 2-2) since the institutions began competing against each other as Centennial foes. The previous win also came at Walton Field in the form of a 2-1 overtime victory in 2001.
In Saturday's game, the Fords pressured the Mules' defense for most of the first half, opening up a 10-3 lead in shots during the period's 45-minute span. Though Muhlenberg goalie Jas Chojnowski was able to come up with four saves, the one that got away proved costly.
From the right corner, Brady Seitz sent a ball into the box in Muhlenberg's defensive end where Matt Johnson was able to possess it then flick a pass to Colin Seitz who hammered a low shot from five yards out past Chojnowski in the 30th minute. The tally was Colin Seitz's second of the year with Johnson earning the assist.
Though the shot totals were nearly even in the second half, 9-8 in favor of the Fords, it was Muhlenberg that generated the majority of scoring chances, forcing Haverford netminder Andriy Mshanetskyy to make four of his five saves during the second 45 minutes.
"This was a huge win for us," said head coach Shane Rineer. "The effort that our guys exhibited for 90 minutes today puts us in an excellent position to be in the battle for the regular season conference crown."
Mshanetskyy's five saves earned him the win between the pipes while Muhlenberg's Chojnowski took the loss after making six saves.
Saturday's result is the third consecutive win -- all against Centennial opponents -- for the Fords who step out of conference action for their next game, a home contest Tuesday afternoon against visiting Rowan University at 4 p.m.