The Muhlenberg men's soccer team is returning to the Centennial Conference playoffs.

The Mules, who won the championship last year, clinched a berth with the results of the afternoon games in the CC. They took the field at night and played a scoreless tie against Swarthmore.

The result left Muhlenberg (9-2-2, 4-1-2) in sole possession of third place in the CC heading into Saturday's home showdown with Washington College, which suffered its first loss of the season to Johns Hopkins. If the Mules win their final two games, they will secure a first-round bye in the playoffs. 

After an evenly played first half, Muhlenberg took it to Swarthmore (3-6-5, 1-2-4) in the last 45 minutes. The Mules had a 10-1 advantage in shots in the second half but could not put one in and were shut out for the first time since the first game of the season. They came the closest in the 73rd minute when a free kick by sophomore Sebastian Tis grazed off the crossbar.

The Muhlenberg defense (including sophomore Trevor Mikuta, pictured above) allowed only one shot on goal - none in the last 81 minutes.