Box Score

The Muhlenberg men's lacrosse team battled to the end in its final game of the season but lost to Dickinson, 9-8, on a goal with 1:04 left.

Playing against a Red Devil squad that has won three of the last four Centennial Conference championships and is in the hunt for a playoff berth this year, the Mules came back five times, erasing a two-goal deficit in the fourth quarter.

Seniors closing out their careers accounted for six of Muhlenberg's eight goals, with Jason Mertz and Jon Thomas netting a pair apiece.

Dickinson scored off the opening faceoff just 13 seconds into the game, but the defense did not allow another goal for more than 25 minutes. A goal by Thomas and two by Mertz sent the Mules into halftime ahead 3-2.

The Red Devils went back ahead with the first two goals of the third quarter before senior Conner Burdick tied the score up again. Freshman Niko Del Moro answered a Dickinson goal with one of his own to make it 5-5 after three.

Dickinson, which won last year's meeting 17-4, took its first two-goal lead by scoring twice in a 48-second span of the fourth quarter. With 7:22 left in the game, Mertz drew an unnecessary roughness penalty while fighting for a loose ball. Fourteen seconds into the extra-man opportunity, junior Steven Casella brought the Mules to within a goal.

Senior Connor Winter tied the game at 7-7 with 5:37 left, only to have Dickinson go back in front just seven seconds later. Muhlenberg drew even one more time on a rip by Thomas (his 61st career goal) with 3:04 to play.

After scoring the final goal, the Red Devils won the ensuing faceoff but turned the ball over. Muhlenberg took two shots in the final 30 seconds, the second of which went out of bounds in the corner with 3.6 seconds left. A desperation pass was intercepted by the goalie, ending the thrilling finale.

Mertz (pictured above) added three assists to his two goals to go over 100 points for his career. He ended with 103, good for fifth on the Mules' all-time list.

Senior Adam Schlauch, the program's all-time leader in saves, added nine to his total. He was helped out on defense by junior Jashon DeSenna, who caused two turnovers, and freshman Kevin Bergenty, who made a couple of bone-jarring hits.