With one diving header the Muhlenberg men's soccer team completed another big comeback.

Senior captain Lance Dotzman's header off a free kick from sophomore Jack Dusing in the 85th minute gave the Mules (11-1-2, 6-1-1) a 2-1 win over Dickinson (11-4-1, 6-2), their second straight home come-from-behind win against a regionally ranked Centennial Conference opponent.

Muhlenberg came into the game ranked third in the region by the NCAA and 11th in Division III by D3soccer.com. Dickinson, fourth in the region and 23rd in the D3soccer.com poll, has played in the NCAA Tournament each of the last three years.

"When we go down in a game we never think we are going to lose," said Dotzman, who scored the game-tying and game-winning goals. "We don't put our heads down. We find our grit and get after it."

Dotzman showed plenty of grit late in the game, including when he was awarded a penalty kick in the 71st minute with his team down 1-0. The midfielder was visibly shaken up after the tackle in the box but, just as he did in the comeback win against Haverford, he put his head down and drilled the tying goal into the back of the net.

"I was thinking, I'm going to tie this up, and we are going to score another to win the game," recalled Dotzman.

Muhlenberg, ranked third in the region by the NCAA, did exactly that, with key plays made all over the field. In the 61st minute, freshman Jan Chmura (right) booted a goal-bound ball right off the touchline to keep the deficit at one. Senior keeper Danny Pinto made a career-high nine saves and made aggressive plays on the ball to counter the Red Devils' ability in the air.

Dusing, who notched an assist on a free kick for the second straight game, took all of the restarts for the Mules. The sophomore launched long throws, directed corner kicks and, most importantly, knew exactly what to do with a free kick with the game on the line.

"I told Lance to just get in there," said Dusing (left). "I am going to whip it in low and hard. That's where he wanted it. That's where I put it, and he did a great job getting his noggin on it."

The execution was perfect on the play, and Muhlenberg followed it up with a staunch defensive effort in the final minutes of the match to preserve the 2-1 victory.

The match lends some clearance to the CC playoff picture. Muhlenberg, Dickinson and Franklin & Marshall have all clinched first-round byes, and because of the Red Devils' defeat and the Diplomats' win over Gettysburg, F&M has secured home field for the tournament. This means the Mules and Red Devils are set for a rematch in the semis in 10 days.

"It is an awesome feeling [to make it to the playoffs]," continued Dotzman. "We didn't make it the last two seasons, but I was able to go when I was a freshman, and it is such a different feeling in the playoffs."