If there is a player the Mullen boys lacrosse team wants to take the game-winning shot, Tim Brown is that guy.
Brown took a dish in front of the net Wednesday night from Kyle Wollenhaupt and scored his 17th goal of the season on a shot just under the crossbar to give Mullen a 7-6 overtime victory over Colorado Academy at Brother Bernard Kinneavy de La Salle Stadium.
Brown scored three goals for Mullen, which improved to 5-0, and Wollenhaupt, Justin Dunn, Bryan Collins and Kane Kunz each scored one apiece.
“My guys just set picks for me, and I was able to work inside,” Brown said.
Colorado Academy (4-1) had a fine performance on the field by its players, who refused to discuss it afterward.
Brian Kearney, who scored two goals, offered only a terse “no comment.”
Coach J.C. Pritchard said turnovers cost his team.
“We had trouble clearing the ball. Every time we threw the ball away it turned into a Mullen possession,” Pritchard said.
Mullen took a 2-0 lead in the first quarter with goals by Wollenhaupt and Dunn, but Colorado Academy got back in the game when Mullen committed six penalties in the first three minutes of the second quarter.
The teams traded goals to go into the half tied at 3.
Mullen looked a bit sluggish early in the second half and Colorado Academy went up 5-3 when P.J. O’Neil scored on a power play.
But Brown was on the spot again to make it a one-goal game heading into the final quarter.
Jeb Burchenal put Colorado Academy up 6-4 with an unassisted goal that caught Mullen keeper Alex Lundy out of position.
But that was about the only miscue Lundy would make, as he finished with 11 saves.
Collins scored for Mullen with eight minutes to play in regulation, and Kunz tied the score after picking up a loose ball in front of the crease with minutes left.
In overtime, Dustin Niparko had a good look to win it for Colorado Academy, but his shot from left of the net went high.
And 1:12 into the sudden-death overtime, Wollenhaupt looped around behind the net and found Brown charging in for the game-winner.
“We came into this game confident,” Brown said. “Maybe we were too confident.”
Colorado Academy 0 3 2 1 0 – 6
Mullen 2 1 1 2 1 – 7
Goals – Kearney 2, Anderson, Craig, O’Neil, Burchenal; Brown 3, Wollenhaupt, Dunn, Collins, Kunz.
Assists – Anderson 2, Niparko, Burchenal; Kupecz, Wollenhaupt 2, My. McReynolds.
Shots on goal – CA: 3-7-5-2-0 – 17; M: 3-3-3-6-1 – 17. Saves – CA (Novack): 1-2-2-4-1 10; M (Lundy): 3-4-3-1-0 11. Ejected – Cragg, CA.
