The Muhlenberg men's soccer team's season-opening victory was extremely hard fought and endured long stretches of great physicality on both sides. But amid the chaos, it was the calm placement of a well-hit penalty kick by senior captain Lance Dotzman that gave the Mules a 2-1 win over William Paterson.

"It's huge for us," said Dotzman. "It's always good to get one under your belt. The team is lifted after a win like this."

The teams seemed destined for overtime before the 80th-minute goal. Both squads had their share of chances, and senior goalie Danny Pinto was able to rise to the occasion, punching and snagging seven saves. Each save seemed more difficult than the last, but the keeper remained composed along with the rest of his team.

"We had great communication out there," said Dotzman, explaining how the team kept their cool during some of the heavier moments in the game. "We have great chemistry already, which is great so early in the season."

Dotzman (pictured at left defending late in the game) had is hand, or foot, in the opening goal as well. The captain was able to find sophomore Phil Rahling in the box for his second career goal with nine minutes left in the first half.

However, the Mules couldn't escape the hotly contested opening 45 minutes with the lead. A bouncing ball in the box found the head of a Pioneer and he tapped it past the keeper to knot things at one.

The game saw its share of heated moments in the second half. Five yellow cards were handed out in roughly a 30-minute stretch, with a lot of the action happening within each team's box. Pinto set the tone early in the period, denying a tricky headed shot and a scorching strike from long distance in the first four minutes of the half. Senior captain Bryan Attanasio and the rest of the back line took care of the rest, clearing and deflecting anything that left the foot of a visiting player.

Dotzman's game-winning goal puts him at an even 10 on his career. What was going through his head when the game was on the line?

"I'm going to bury this and our team is going to go up 2-1, and we are going to celebrate together."

Buried it was, and the rest was history for the Mules. The victory was Muhlenberg's fourth home-opening victory in the last five seasons.