The No. 1 Franklin & Marshall men's soccer team settles in for a crucial four-game road trip in the late stages of the season, beginning action this week with a trip to Johns Hopkins on Saturday.

Series History: One of the best rivalries in the Centennial Conference (CC) is on display this weekend when F&M and Johns Hopkins square off in Baltimore. Seven of the previous 10 installments have gone into overtime.

The all-time series lead belongs to the Blue Jays at 40-21-6, however the Diplomats have had the upper hand of late, including a 2-1 thriller last Oct. 18^th in Lancaster. 

With just 12 seconds remaining on the clock, Jeremy Levine  found the back of the net to deliver the Diplomats a dramatic late-season win. 

To watch a highlight video from last year's contest, click here.

Last Week: Two straight shutouts highlighted the Diplomats' first-ever week atop the national polls as F&M showed why it's the country's No. 1 team. Nine of the Diplomats' 12 wins on the year have been a shutout, including five of the last six contests.

In a 1-0 win against DeSales on Wednesday, leading scorer Chase TenBrook provided goalkeeper Trevor Britton and the Diplomats all the offense F&M would need on the contest. In the 37th minute of a scoreless game, a Levine freekick was one-touched by Matthew Regueiro over to TenBrook, who sent an attempt over the head of DeSales' goalkeeper. 

To read the recap from this game, click here.

On Saturday against McDaniel, F&M picked up a dominating 5-0 victory in a lopsided contest at Tylus Field. TenBrook (15^th minute), Cole Niggeman (38^th minute), Ugo Okolie (54^th minute), Jason Tonelli (81^st minute) and Dave Martin (84^th) all registered goals, while Ryan Fincher tallied two assists. 

To watch a highlight video of this game, click here.

CC POTW: Britton was named the CC Defensive Player of the Week for men's soccer on Monday, earning the accolade for the second time this season and fourth time in his career. 

The senior goalkeeper registered five saves and did not allow a goal through nearly 150 minutes in net. Britton was credited with one shutout and each of F&M's two wins.

In the Rankings: F&M remains at the No. 1 ranking in both the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) and D3soccer.com polls for the second straight week. The Diplomats received 15 of the 20 eligible first-place votes in the D3soccer.com poll. 

Among the Leaders (NCAA): F&M's shutdown defense ranks among the best in the nation in several statistical categories, placing fourth in goals against average (0.33) and fifth in shutout percentage (75 percent).

Britton's 0.26 goals against average is the fourth-best throughout Division III and tops in the CC.

Among the Leaders (CC): Several Diplomats find their names among the conference leaders, with TenBrook leading the team and placing fourth in the CC with 17 points, while being second in the conference with eighth goals. 

Okolie is seventh with 13 points and sixth with five goals. Janse Schermerhorn's five assists and Okolie's three helpers place the duo in fourth and sixth, respectively, in the CC. Along with having the lowest goals against average in the confernece, Britton also leads the way with an .864 save percentage.

Record Book Watch: Britton enters the week with 27 career wins, which places him fifth on the program's all-time list. Zach Zamek '10 leads the way with 41. The senior goalkeeper's 19 shutouts are second, a record that also belongs to Zamek with 25.

TenBrook continues to climb the ladder in several offensive categories and currently places ninth in career points (57), 10th in career goals (24) and fourth in game-winning scores (6).

Tylus Win Streak: Entering play this week, F&M has not dropped a regular-season contest at home since Oct. 2, 2013 in a 2-1 overtime loss to Ursinus, a streak that spans 20 contests.

Regular-Season Unbeaten Streak: The Diplomats have also not lost a regular-season contest in 32 straight games, a mark that dates back to Oct. 19, 2013 in a 3-1 defeat at the hands of Haverford.