Friday, October 26, 2007

The Final Day


pictured: Ian Ramsey-North, Haverford


... of the 2007 regular season for field hockey, soccer and volleyball is Saturday and top seeds are strill up for grabs. The 15th annual Centennial cross country championships will be at Franklin & Marshall, while first place in football is on the line in Allentown. It promises to be a great weekend ... we hope to see you at a Conference venue.

Centennial Conference Championships (Cross Country)
The UCLA men's basketball team reeled off 88 consecutive victories during the 70s. The Connecticut women's team won 70 straight basketball games from 2001-03. Joe DiMaggio hit safely in 56 consecutive baseball games in 1941. And then there are the Haverford men's and Dickinson women's cross country teams. The Fords and the Red Devils go for their 15th and eighth consecutive titles, respectively, at the 15th annual Conference championship meet at Franklin & Marshall. The women's 6K race begins at 11 a.m. while the men's 8K race starts at noon.  Preview

Johns Hopkins at Ursinus (Field Hockey)
Doesn't get much bigger than this ... winner gets the top seed and hosts next weekend's tournament. The seventh-ranked Blue Jays (8-0 CC, 12-3) come to Collegeville to take on the sixth-ranked Bears (8-1, 14-2) who are on a roll. Following a loss to F&M on Oct. 6, Ursinus has defeated six straight opponents by an aggregate score of 43-1. The Bears are 7-1 all-time against the Hopkins, but the Jays' win came in Collegeville in the 2003 Centennial semifinals by a 1-0 count.

Dickinson at Muhlenberg (Football)
It's one of the top games in the country this weekend in Allentown as the defending CC champion Red Devils (4-1, 6-1) come to town to battle the undefeated Mules (5-0, 7-0). It is the 63rd time that the two schools have met on the gridiron since 1923 with 'Berg holding a 36-24-1 advantage. The Mules are ranked 17th in Division III by the AFCA and 20th by D3football.com.

Franklin & Marshall at Dickinson (Men's Soccer)
It's simple really ... the Red Devils (4-2-2, 12-2-2) win, they're in the Conference tournament. A loss and Dickinson needs help. Standing in the Devils' path, the #12 team in the country - Franklin & Marshall (7-1, 15-1). It is the 56th meeting between the two clubs with the Diplomats holding a 33-17-5 advantage. Dickinson won last year's meeting by a 1-0 count in Carlisle.

Swarthmore at Haverford (Men's Soccer)
It is the 85th renewal of one of college soccer's oldest rivalries as the Garnet (4-3-1, 10-3-3) and the Fords (0-7-1, 2-13-1) meet on Walton Field. Haverford holds a 43-33-8 series lead but Swarthmore has won three straight. The Garnet need a victory to keep its playoff hopes alive and there is nothing that would make a disappointing season brighter for the Fords than a win over their archrival.

Johns Hopkins at Ursinus (Women's Soccer)
The top seed and homefield advantage is on the line in Collegeville in another sport as the Blue Jays (8-1, 12-4-1) and the Bears (7-1-1, 11-4-2) meet on the soccer pitch. Hopkins is the two-time defending Centennial titleist and has never lost to Ursinus in 11 matches. The Bears managed a 1-1 draw in 2005 in the teams' last meeting in Collegeville. An Ursinus win gives the Bears the #1 seed, while a win or draw does the same for Hopkins.

Haverford at McDaniel (Women's Soccer)
The fifth and final playoff berth is at stake for the Fords (5-2-2, 8-6-2) who control their own destiny. A victory puts Haverford in the next week's tournament field, while a loss opens the door for Franklin & Marshall. The Green Terror (2-7, 3-14) won last year's meeting in Westminster by a 2-1 count to close the series deficit to 9-6-2.

Franklin & Marshall at Swarthmore (Women's Soccer)
The challenge is daunting for the Diplomats (5-4, 8-5-2) - beat Swarthmore (6-2-1, 11-2-1) and hope that McDaniel can defeat or draw Haverford to keep their playoff dreams alive. History is on F&M's side, as the Blue and White holds a 23-3-1 all-time series advantage. Of course, the Garnet is 3-1 over the last four seasons with the Diplomats, including a 2-0 win last season.

Haverford at McDaniel (Volleyball)
A three-way tie for the Conference lead will be sorted out after this match in Westminster. The 15th ranked Fords (8-1, 26-2) can wrap up the top seed and gain homecourt advantage for next weekend's CC final four with a victory. The Green Terror (8-1, 15-7) needs a win vs. Haverford and an Ursinus (1-8, 5-17) upset of Johns Hopkins (8-1, 22-4) to secure the #1 position. A McDaniel win, combined with a Blue Jay victory, gives Hopkins the top spot. Haverford has won seven straight in the series to pull even at 7-7.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

how is Hopkins/Ursinus women's soccer not a five-star matchup? top two teams battling for the right to host the playoffs? Swat/F&M? boggling...

d3Playbook said...

Boggling, yes. Big Oversight ... yes. It's been added. With all the big games this weekend, I hit "save" before reviewing them all. Thanks for pointing it out.