There’s a belief in soccer that two-goal leads are unsafe and dangerous.
Greeley West did everything to back that up Saturday afternoon. The two-time Class 4A defending champion scored three goals in the final 25 minutes to stun 5A Mullen 3-2 in a nonleague matchup at Invesco Field at Mile High.
Junior striker Laura Engel lifted the Spartans with a goal in the 55th minute, assisted on Sara Hemmings’ equalizer in the 67th and scored the game-winner three minutes later as Greeley West won its 13th consecutive game since a season-opening loss.
“Once we get our first goal, we’re a great team,” said Engel, who has 25 goals this season. “We attack, we play well and we’re intense.”
Second-ranked Greeley West and No. 7 Mullen, in its first season in big schools, have stoked an intense rivalry in recent years at the 4A level. The Spartans defeated Mullen 3-2 in the 2004 state semifinals and 2-1 in the 2003 final.
Engel nearly scored in the second minute Saturday on a long drive, but the Mustangs answered with a goal from senior Kate Erdle in the eighth minute.
The Mustangs (8-4-2) dominated the Spartans for the remainder of the half with smart passing and went up 2-0 in the 46th minute on Danielle Foxhoven’s goal.
But things crumbled quickly.
“You could just see the energy in our girls,” Greeley West coach Mike Lordemann said of his team’s rally. “That was really the key.”
The loss halted Mullen’s five-game unbeaten streak.
“We always start off pretty strong, but the second half always seems to be our tough half,” said Mullen sophomore Kaitlin May, who was denied on a breakaway in the 34th minute by goalie Jessalyn Payne.
The Mustangs opened the scoring with a run down the right side. Meghan Smith centered the ball to Erdle for a close finish.
Mullen doubled its advantage six minutes into the second half when freshman Foxhoven stepped through two defenders for a goal.
The Spartans began to pressure in the 53rd minute behind Engel and Nikki Ahrendsen before Engel scored in the 55th.
Greeley West 0 3 – 3
Mullen 1 1 – 2
Goals – M: Erdle (Smith), 8th minute; Foxhoven (unassisted), 46th; GW: Engel (unassisted), 55th; Hemmings (Engel), 67th; Engel (Hemmings), 70th.
Shots on goal – Greeley West 1-4 – 5; Mullen 4-4 – 8. Saves – Greeley West (Payne, Harter) 3-3 – 6; Mullen (Palomino, Tooley, Garnhart) 1-1 – 2. Offsides – Greeley West 0-0 – 0; Mullen 0-2 – 2. Corner kicks – Greeley West 0-0 – 0; Mullen 1-2 – 3. Fouls – Greeley West 1-4 – 5; Mullen 9-2 – 11. Yellow card – Lordemann, GW, 65th minute.
