The Muhlenberg men's lacrosse team opened up Centennial Conference play with an 11-10 home win against defending champion Dickinson.

Senior Jack Kraemer scored the tying and winning goals 56 seconds apart late in the fourth quarter as the Mules (6-2, 1-0) toppled the Red Devils (5-3, 0-1), who swept through the regular season undefeated in 2022 and came into the game ranked 10th in Division III.

The win was Muhlenberg's first ever against the defending CC champion.

As they did in last year's game against Dickinson, the Mules scored the first three goals. The Red Devils not only erased the early deficit last year, but they also took control of the game in the middle quarters and went on to win, 14-10.

Dickinson came back again this year, but the rest of the game was evenly played, with neither team enjoying more than a two-goal advantage after the Mules' 3-0 start.

Muhlenberg never trailed until 5:47 remained in the third quarter, when the Red Devils took a 9-8 lead. A little more than a minute later, junior Wyatt Malia picked up the ball at midfield following a Dickinson turnover and went straight to goal, burying his shot to tie the game at 9-9.

The score remained knotted through the rest of the third quarter and the first nine-plus minutes of the fourth quarter as the defenses dug in. Dickinson took its final lead at 10-9 with 5:53 left.

Dickinson won the ensuing faceoff, but senior Cooper Richards checked the ball out of the stick of a Red Devil midfielder, senior Connor Riebling picked up the loose ball, and the Mules took possession with fewer than five minutes to play.

Following a timeout, Kraemer drove in from the corner and tucked his low shot inside the near post to tie the score at 10-all.

The Red Devils again won the faceoff, and 45 seconds into the possession, one of their players slipped on the wet turf and lost control of the ball. Senior Aidan Murphy picked up the loose ball, cleared and passed to Kraemer, who this time shot high to the far post to put Muhlenberg in front.

Senior Max May made a save, his ninth of the game, on the ensuing Dickinson possession, and the Mules killed off the final minute after a Dickinson turnover.

Senior James Dalimonte scored three first-half goals for his 15th career hat trick. He also added an assist; the four points increased his career total to 122, one short of a tie for second place on the program's all-time list.

Sophomore Andrew Sellitto netted a pair of goals, and Malia added three assists to his tying goal.

Murphy picked up a team-high four ground balls and was part of a defensive effort that held Dickinson to one goal in the last 20 minutes. Murphy, graduate student Jonathan Taub and junior Matthew Regan each caused a pair of turnovers.