Senior Kimberly Klicka registered her first career assist in Sunday’s 2-1 win against Kean.

The Mules are ranked third in the region behind Messiah and New Jersey. Of the six other teams ranked in the top seven in the region, Muhlenberg has five on its schedule: Messiah, Scranton (fourth), Johns Hopkins (fifth), Moravian (sixth) and Haverford (seventh).

Saturday evening’s game against Scranton (which lost its only game to date to defending national champion Oneonta State) in the Mules’ home opener will be a matchup of two top-25 teams. Muhlenberg’s opponent the next day, Smith, is ranked ninth in the New England Region.

This is the fifth year in a row that the Mules have earned a national ranking. They were 23rd in the final 2003 poll, 19th in the 2002 preseason poll, tied for 18th in the final 2001 rankings, and 17th in the first regular-season poll of 2000.

The Muhlenberg men’s soccer team is ranked seventh in the Mid-Atlantic Region. The Mules opened their season with a 4-1 loss to St. Lawrence, which is ranked fifth in the country. Another top-20 team, No. 15 Stevens Tech, will be in town this weekend for the Mule Classic, although the Ducks won’t play Muhlenberg.

The Mules’ two opponents next week, Johns Hopkins and Messiah, are ranked 18th and 10th, respectively, in Division III.