Grandview shuts out Mustangs

GREENWOOD VILLAGE – It was one of the program’s bigger regular-season games in years, a chance to win the Centennial League as its only Class 4A team and a real opportunity to knock down one of the big-school powers on the era.

However, none of the above occurred in Mullen’s 4-0 loss to Grandview on another cold, breezy and wet spring night, this one Wednesday at the Stutler Bowl.

The Wolves are very much for real as they moved to 11-2-1 overall with four second-half goals. They also have captured three of the past four 5A championships, including 2018’s, and are 77-7-8 over the span. And they clinched the league title at 6-0-1.

Meanwhile, Mullen is 11-2-1, 4-2-1, had its six-match winning streak snapped in which it outscored the opposition by a combined 36-4, and was repeatedly encouraged afterward to move ahead.

“You have to,” Mustangs head coach Matthew Guglielmo said, and with reason. “(The Wolves) took it to us. They were awesome.”

He’s not exaggerating. Even with Grandview scoreless in the first half, it certainly displayed superiority in all areas, such as speed, passing, ball-handling – especially ball-handling -- and defense. It practically lived in the Mullen end.

And over the second 40 minutes, the Wolves quickly found the back of the net behind Mustangs keeper Emma Ryan and kept at it. They scored on the 45th, 53rd, 60th and 78 minutes on a variety of plays, including a couple of big-time shots.

Mullen didn’t have any answers and that’s OK, Guglielmo said.

“You have to know you’re playing against the defending state champions and we thought we could win,” he said in pointing to years past in which the Mustangs ordinarily would be looking for ways to stay in the match. “It was 0-0 at half, but they were territorial.”

And now the Mustangs wipe their slate clean.

“That’s the way we’re looking at it,” the coach said.

Mullen will have two roadies in nonleague to complete the regular season – Friday at Brighton, 7:30 p.m., and Saturday at Northridge, 11 a.m. The playoff brackets for all classifications will be released on Monday, the Mustangs should have one of the best records – and seeds – in the field and the intent is to go after a Colorado title.

“That’s the plan,” Guglielmo said.