Series History: F&M and Elizabethtown will clash in the Smith-Herr Boot Game on Friday at Tylus Field. Friday's matchup will mark the 36^th meeting between the two sides in the historic cross-county rivalry, with the Blue Jays holding a 24-8-3 series edge. F&M has had the better of the matchup of late as the Diplomats have won the last two meetings, including a 2-1 victory last season.

Smith-Herr Boot Game: The annual "Battle of the Boot" began in 1977 and has been played each year since – aside from a rainout in 2010. The Smith-Herr Bronze Boot is a soccer shoe originally worn by Al Hershey, who was a two-time All-American at Elizabethtown before later coaching the Blue Jays and F&M. The boot is named for Robert Smith, who coached F&M from 1947 to 1963, and Ira R. Herr, who coached Elizabethtown from 1938 to 1948 and 1958 to 1960.

Last Week: F&M continued its torrid start to the 2013 season by capturing the team title at the Mayor's Cup last weekend. The Diplomats defeated a pair of ranked opponents, No. 9 Claremont-Mudd-Scripps and No. 24 Oneonta St., on their way to the title. The Diplomats and No. 1 Messiah both finished the tournament with 2-0 records, but F&M secured the team title based on the second tiebreaker of total shutouts.  

Ben Beaver notched a hat trick in Friday's 4-0 win over Claremont-Mudd-Scripps, while Vince Perry tallied the other F&M score. Jeremy Levine and Sam Lane registered assists in the win. In Saturday's 1-0 triumph over Oneonta St., Zach Fried recorded the game-winner off a feed from Chase TenBrook in the 22^nd minute.

The F&M defense was stingy for the second straight week, allowing a total of just 13 shots and three corner kicks throughout the two contests. The Diplomats have yet to allow a goal this season. 

All-Tournament Honors: Several Diplomats received All-Tournament recognition for their performance at the Mayor's Cup last weekend. Ben Beaver, T.J. White, David Rosenfeld, and Zach Fried were each named to the All-Tournament team, while Beaver and White earned Offensive and Defensive MVP honors, respectively.

In the Rankings: F&M cracked the top-25 in the most recent National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) National Rankings, claiming the No. 25 spot. This marks the fourth straight year that the Diplomats have cracked the top-25 of the coaches poll at least once. Other CC foes joining F&M in the rankings are Dickinson (No. 12), and Swarthmore (No. 19).

Player of the Week: Ben Beaver earned Centennial Conference (CC) Offensive Player of the Week honors for his performance at the Mayor's Cup. The senior forward tallied his first career hat trick in Friday's 4-0 victory over No. 9 Claremont-Mudd-Scripps.

Record Book Watch: Ben Beaver has scored five goals in the first four contests this season, vaulting him into sole possession of third place in career goals (37) and fourth place in career points (82). He sits just seven goals shy of tying Scott Runyon's '01 all-time goal-scoring mark (44). The senior forward already holds the career record for game-winning goals with 16.