Mullen was eliminated from the playoffs by Eagle Valley last year as it was admittedly looking ahead to the next round and a shot at top-seeded Rock Canyon.
Adding insult to injury, Mullen’s bus broke down on the ride back from Gypsum.
Wednesday afternoon, the No. 7 Mustangs scored two early goals en route to a 4-0 Class 4A state quarterfinal victory over No. 18 Eagle Valley.
Up next Saturday? Defending champion Rock Canyon, this time the sixth seed.
“It wasn’t a good feeling,” senior midfielder Jared Roberts said of last year, “but it was good thinking about it today.”
Roberts scored the first goal on a slow-bouncing header 64 seconds into the match, and forward Austin Bell punched a ball past Devils goalkeeper Mario Gonzalez in the sixth minute to give the Mustangs (12-4-1) a dream start.
Roberts notched two assists in the second half, both times setting up junior Hank Baker, who joked that he was trying to mimic comic book character Hellboy with the oversized cast on his right arm and hair.
“The ponytail is what gets it done,” said Baker, who scored in the 56th and 58th minutes.
Joking aside, the blitzkrieg start was crucial to put away skillful Eagle Valley (12-4-2), which upset No. 2 Wheat Ridge on Monday.
“That was key,” Baker said. “We have the skill level here, we just need the intensity and needed to match their intensity.”
Said Bell: “We knew we had to come out and take it to them.”
The Devils’ three Escobars — Marco, Kevin and Nestor — and Gonzalo Gomez had snapshot moments, but nothing came together long enough to produce a highlight.
Eagle Valley 0 0 — 0
Mullen 2 2 — 4
Goals — Roberts (Clarizio) 2nd minute; Bell (unassisted) 6th; Baker (Roberts) 56th; Baker (Roberts) 58th.
Shots on goal — Eagle Valley 0-2 — 2, Mullen 4-4 — 8. Saves — Eagle Valley (Gonzalez) 2-2 — 4, Mullen (Rendell 55 minutes, O’Connor 25) 0-2 — 2. Offside — Eagle Valley 4-1 — 5, Mullen 1-4 — 5. Corner kicks — Eagle Valley 0-0 — 0, Mullen 1-3 — 4. Fouls — Eagle Valley 4-1 — 5, Mullen 4-4 — 8. Yellow cards — Gomez, EV, 49th minute; Mascolo, M, 68th.
