BETHLEHEM, Pa. – The Moravian College men's soccer team suffered a 4-0 setback against Muhlenberg College in the 52nd meeting between the local rivals on Wednesday afternoon on the HUB Quad.
The Greyhounds (3-2) came out of the gates with vigor indicative of the 50-year-old rivalry. The extra enthusiasm was necessary on this particular afternoon with a high humidity and thermometers dialed at 90 degrees at kick off.
"We had the energy and we had the buzz," said head coach Todd Ervin. "That's what got us through it. When we play our game, we move the ball quite well and we can dominate a game. We lost track of that today.
"Take nothing away from Muhlenberg. They were a very good team today. I thought that our game plan fell apart; we weren't able to do a lot of the things that usually make us a good team. I was disappointed in that. I think Muhlenberg played well and unfortunately for us, they came away with the win."
Moravian battled bravely through a closely contested first half, which featured scoring chances and possession from both clubs. However, the Mules (4-1) broke the silence during this late-summer scorcher and warmed up the scoreboard with their first goal of the game in the 18th minute.
Sophomore goalkeeper Brian Boland and the Greyhound back line tightened up their efforts and went into halftime down 1-0.
Muhlenberg came out firing in the second half, scoring back-to-back goals in the 53rd and 58th minutes for a 3-0 lead. Some teams could have hung their heads down three goals to their local rival in the middle of an unseasonal heat wave. But the Greyhounds continued to root for each other and communicated with passion, which led to a couple scoring opportunities in the second half.
Sophomore midfielder Brett Harder caught the Mules' goalkeeper by surprise by unleashing a furious shot from 30 yards out. The keeper was forced to fist the ball over his own crossbar to avoid conceding a goal.
Another sophomore midfielder, Seth Reynolds, took a long shot shortly after Harder's. The Muhlenberg goalie again conceded a corner kick after making a leaping one-handed save. The Greyhounds made the best of their chances, putting five of their seven shots on goal.
"We really have been playing quite well," Ervin said. "That's why I was so disappointed; not necessarily with the result, but with how we played. We're much better at moving the ball and we're a much better team than we showed today."
Muhlenberg capped a strong offensive game with its fourth goal in the 88th minute.
Moravian looks for the rebound and the start of a new winning streak on the road on Saturday, September 14, when the Greyhounds travel to Lebanon Valley College for a non-conference match at 3 p.m.
"That will be another tough test," Ervin said looking ahead to the squad's next opponent. "They have a couple really good players, so we're going to have to show up ready to play."
Each year since 1987-88, Moravian and Muhlenberg have battled for the Matte All-Sports Trophy. The award is named for Aaron Matte, a 1970 graduate of Muhlenberg, who was a big supporter of local Division III athletics. The trophy is awarded to the school with the better win-loss record in head-to-head competition in all sports. Today's men's soccer match was the first of the Moravian-Muhlenberg series in 2013. The Mules currently possess the Matte Award after claiming an 8.5-6.5 victory last year over the Greyhounds.
