Five-Star Matchups

Welcome to our Five-Star Matchups for a 1st round Wednesday. The winners of today's matches get the privilege of moving on to face the top seed on its home field on the weekend. The losers will most likely pack up the gear for the year.

Franklin & Marshall at Dickinson (Men's Soccer)
110 minutes of soccer did not determine a winner between these two in Saturday's regular-season finale, so they'll meet again today ... and someone will advance. The Red Devils (12-3-2) and the Diplomats (9-5-3) have met 59 times previously on the pitch - but never in the Centennial playoffs - with F&M holding a 33-18-7 advantage. But the series has been tight since 1993, tied at 7-7-4. The Diplomats are 0-2-1 in Carlisle since their last win in 2004 (4-0). Dickinson is led by the 1-2 combination of Tom Parkinson and Nicolas Tierno, who each have scored 10 goals. F&M looks to Matt Melino who leads the team in scoring with 4-6-14.

Franklin & Marshall at Haverford (Field Hockey)
The Diplomats (10-7) and the Fords (8-9) will meet in the Conference playoffs for the first time tonight under the lights at Swan Field. Haverford captured the regular-season match in Lancaster by a 3-1 count, rallying for three unanswered goals after spotting F&M an early 1-0 lead. It was the second straight win for the Fords vs. the Diplomats, who hold a 19-5-1 all-time advantage. Haverford's Mary Hobbs (10) is one of eight players in the Conference who has double figures in goals on the year. F&M's offense runs through Eileen O'Reilly who has 6-9-21 on the season.

Dickinson at Swarthmore (Women's Soccer)
The 2009 Centennial women's soccer tournament promises to be one of the most competitive in the country, as all five teams have at least 12 wins. The Red Devils (14-3) have only lost three matches this season - all at the hands of CC foes. The Garnet (13-4) also dropped three Conference matches, but defeated Dickinson, 1-0, back on Sept. 19 on a goal by Hannah Deming in the 17th minute. The Red Devils lead the Centennial in scoring offense, averaging 3.35 goals per game. First-year Hannah Richardson leads all Conference players with 13 goals. The Garnet has surrendered only 13 goals all season and GK Marie Mutryn is tied for second in the CC with seven shutouts. Dickinson leads the all-time series, 16-8-3, but Swat has won four of the last five meetings. The only loss in that stretch - last year's Conference semifinal (2-1).

Muhlenberg at Swarthmore (Volleyball)
The Mules (11-12) and the Garnet (18-9) square off in the Centennial playoffs for the first time tonight at Tarble Pavilion. Muhlenberg is back in the tournament after an eight-year absence, while Swarthmore returns after missing the tourney for the past three seasons. 'Berg's Phylicia Lee is ranked seventh in the CC in kills (2.72), while Swat's Genny Pezzola is tops in that category at 3.73 per set. The Garnet defeated the Mules in four sets back on Oct. 13, but Muhlenberg still holds a 13-6 series advantage since 1993.