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Despite putting together a strong 90 minutes of play, the Muhlenberg women's soccer team was defeated by Swarthmore, 1-0, in the first round of the Centennial Conference playoffs.

The match was exactly what you expected from a playoff contest. Each side played a clean game and the scoring chances were virtually split down the middle. The lone goal was scored off of a strong corner kick play by the Garnet in the 37th minute, in which a Swarthmore attacker back-heeled a pass from the near post into the danger area, where it was eventually put away from around the six-yard box.

Muhlenberg (11-6-2) outshot the Garnet 13-12 in the match, with eight of them coming in the second half. Senior Colleen Touhey led an offense that did everything but break through for a goal. Touhey (left) had the strongest attack of the first half for the Mules, delivering a header in the seventh minute that forced a save by the Swarthmore keeper. She tested the goalie late in the match as well, sending typical curved shots towards the net, including one that forced the goalkeeper to reach over her head and bat the ball to the ground before securing it.

Senior Audrey Zamichow had a similarly impressive performance. The forward made strong runs and won possession in attacking areas throughout the match. Her lone shot of the match was a well-struck ball that led to a corner kick in the waning moments.

Junior Jen Mermelstein made seven saves against the team that forced 12 stops from her a couple weeks ago. The netminder made aggressive plays on the ball that do not show up on the stat sheet, keeping the Garnet (12-6) at bay in the second half. She also made a huge one-on-one save with under a minute left in the game with all but one Mule on the opposite side of the field, leading to one final push.

The Mules' season is not necessarily over. Because of their strong 11-5-2 regular season, they have put themselves in a good spot to nab an ECAC bid.