Finally, Tuesday night at Mason Multi-Purpose Field, the Firebirds were able to break through.
Lakota West got goals from three players and keeper Jake Mutlu recorded another clean sheet in a 3-0 win to snap Mason’s unbeaten streak at 38 games. The win over the Comets, the state’s second-ranked team, also marks the first in the series since Lakota West pulled out a 2-1 overtime win in the postseason in 2011. More importantly, it moved the Firebirds into a tie with Mason for the lead in the GMC.
“It feels good,” Mutlu said. “But it is still just a regular season game. If we can get them again in the tournament, it would be bigger than this. It does feel good. We are going to enjoy this for one night.”
Lakota West outshot Mason 8-3, using a veteran defense to stall the Comets before they could get many clean shots off, and turned one of those stops into the first goal of the game.
Defender Jake King made a long run on a counter attack, received the ball back at the far side of the goal and beat Mason keeper Drew Grisham for the lone goal of the first half with 35:11 left.
“That goal was big,” Lakota West coach Rick Cooper said after his squad improved to 12-3-0 and 7-1-0 in the GMC. “We needed that. We have come a long way as a team and that was a big confidence booster for us. We have been talking about the fact we could do it, but sometimes talking about it doesn’t help if you don’t do it.”
Mason just missed tying the game less than a minute later but didn’t get another shot on goal until there was 26:34 left in the game when Evan Cu-Show’s shot was turned away by a diving Mutlu.
“We knew the first goal was not going to determine the game by any stretch,” Mason coach Paul Reedy said after his group fell to 12-1-3 and 8-1-0. “We knew we would have chances to find the goal in the second half, but their defense played really well and it was tough to create much.”
Wesley Coleman scored the second goal for the Firebirds off a throw-in and Julian Havens sealed the win with 9:35 left when he pounded home a rebound off a shot from Corey Denham.
Mason threw three players forward for most of the second half but could manage just two shots.
“The first half was a little more hectic,” Mutlu said. “Once we got the (first) goal, they started pushing hard. When they sent four forward, it was a test, but the defense did a great job in front of me.”
The loss was the first for Mason since falling in the state semis in 2012.
“You have to give them a lot of credit,” Reedy said. “They are playing well. As I told our players, this is a reality check and they have to get more determined to improve every day. You don’t want to have a loss be a wake-up call, but it needed to be.”
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