No. 1 Mullen narrowly avoids upset bid by Golden in 4A boys soccer quarterfinal

DENVER — Third time was the charm for Mullen sophomore Jackson Kaunda on Saturday afternoon in the Class 4A boys soccer state quarterfinals.

Kaunda had rocketed a penalty kick off the post in the 34th minute and had another penalty kick saved in the third minute of sudden-victory overtime. However, Kaunda scored the walk-off goal in the 84th minute with a header that rocketed past Golden junior goalie Grady Peters to give No. 1-seeded Mullen a 2-1 overtime victory against upset-minded No. 8 Golden.

The win advanced Mullen (16-1-1 record) into the 4A state semifinals Wednesday, Nov. 12, at Trailblazer Stadium in Lakewood. The Mustangs will face the winner of No. 13 Evergreen and No. 12 Cheyenne Mountain. The Cougars and Red-Tailed Hawks were schedule for a 4 p.m. start Saturday.

Golden — 4A Jeffco League champs — gave everything the Mustangs wanted on their home field. The Demons (12-3-3) withstood a ton of Mullen offensive pressure in the first half. Peters was brilliant in net to allow Golden to hold Mullen scoreless for nearly the entire time in regulation.

The Demons took a 1-0 lead in the 66th minute. A corner kick by senior Adam Ziegenfuss eventually found the foot of sophomore MacEwan Baker, who scored to put the Demons up.

Golden nearly took a 2-0 lead in the 77th minute. A bad giveaway by Mullen created a breakaway for sophomore Bertel Ellegaard. However, Ellegaard’s shot went over the head of the Mustang goalie, but hit the cross bar.

Seconds later, Mullen got the equalizer. Sophomore Andrew Sedita’s throw-in found the head of junior Roman Cedilla, who headed it past Peters for to tie the game with 3:08 left in regulation time.

Peters made a diving save on a penalty kick by Kaunda in the 83rd minute to keep the game going, but Kaunda finally ended the game heading the game-winning goal seconds later. Sophomore Bash Smith picked up the assist on the goal by Kaunda.

For the second straight season Golden has had its season ended at Mullen High School. The Mustangs defeated the Demons 1-0 last season in the second round of the playoffs.