The Muhlenberg Mules continued their scorching start to the season with a 20-9 win over the visiting Stockton Ospreys on Wednesday evening.
The hosts used an 8-0 run spanning the first and second quarters to take control of the contest, a stretch punctuated by junior
Emma Youngling's 100th career score just under a minute into the second period. Youngling becomes the 19
th player to reach that plateau in program history and joins teammate
Ava Milia, who became number 18 earlier this season.
While that dominant run put the Mules up 10-2, Stockton was able to make inroads into that advantage over the course of the next period and a half by going on a 6-1 run of its own. With 7:26 remaining in the third quarter, the Ospreys had cut the deficit to just four at 12-8. The Mules answered right back with a much-needed goal of their own courtesy of freshman
Maddy Coen, who had played sparingly up to that point. Coen received the ball in the slot courtesy of
Halina Homiak and fired it past the goaltender and into the net for the momentum-changing tally. From there, the Mules were off to the races, outscoring the visitors 8-1 the rest of the way.
A pair of Mules led the way offensively in Youngling and
Jane Sorger (
pictured). Youngling put up her fourth straight hat trick to open the season with five goals and added a pair of assists to boot. The freshman was just as active as the junior, putting up a career-high nine points (four goals, five assists). Not only was that a career high, but it more than doubled her career point total through the first three games (eight). Coen, Milia, and
Kim Curcio each finished with a pair of goals as well.
Sorger also led the team with five ground balls, while
Halina Homiak put up her first career hat trick in addition to nabbing four ground balls. In the faceoff circle,
Abba Diglio corralled eight of her draw control opportunities while Youngling finished with four.
For the Mules, it's the best start since 2024, when they started a pristine 7-0 before falling in the conference opener. Last season, they started 8-1, with the lone loss coming against nationally ranked Rowan, whom they upset last week. Considering the upset of the Profs and the flawless start, the Mules could find themselves in the top 25 in the near future.
