Mason Mulnix writes storybook ending for Whitehall soccer in overtime win over Oakridge

WHITEHALL — Script writers would dismiss it as too cliche to be realistic, but it really happened Wednesday night: Whitehall senior Mason Mulnix, who missed most of the regular season with a broken hip, came off the bench and scored two goals in overtime to keep his career going at least one more game.

Mulnix' heroics gave the Vikings a 5-3 pre-district win over Oakridge, erased any bad vibes that might have come from the team giving up two second-half goals to tie the score, and extended the team's season at least one more week. Whitehall will face Fremont in the district semifinals.

Coach Adam Prince said Mulnix was only cleared to play Tuesday, and Mulnix added that his doctor said though he was cleared, he was reticent about it.

"He told me I probably shouldn't play in the game tonight," Mulnix said. "But my team needed help. I had a job to do, and I got my job done."

Mulnix didn't even enter the game until very late in regulation; it was always the plan to get him in down the stretch, whether it was needed or just a chance for him to take the field one last time in his final home game. As it turned out, the Eagles' Ian Thompson made sure Mulnix was very much needed, scoring two goals in just over 10 minutes late in the second half to erase a 3-1 Whitehall lead.

When overtime began, Mulnix' presence seemed to stabilize a Whitehall offense that's been searching for a way to replace his offense ever since his injury. It took less than 90 seconds into the extra time for him to get loose and score his 10th goal of the season - a total that still leads the team even after missing a month of play.

"When he finally did get in there and got his first touch, it was just back to the old Moose," Prince said, using Mulnix' nickname. "He just floats out there. When he's up top, the whole team plays differently than when he's not. When he came over and he made the first goal, you could just feel everybody (think), 'We're back to where we were at the beginning of the season.'"

Mulnix added to his storybook in the second overtime period, scoring again with just over four minutes to go before being subbed out. He played less than 20 minutes, but his impact, both literal and metaphorical, was impossible to overstate.

Prince and his coaches knew Mulnix being cleared was a possibility when he went in for his Tuesday appointment, but nothing was for sure; while there is a healthy amount of muscle protecting the bone, it remains broken. It's due to that muscle that Mulnix is able to play, as doctors say he can't do more damage to it.

"Me and the assistant coaches all had a little voodoo prayer meeting," Prince smiled. "We were hoping but we waited. We got a text message right before the team dinner yesterday that he was cleared to play."

The team dinner included former Vikings' coach Bryan Mahan, Mulnix said, who preached team soccer and everyone doing their job.

"My job was to put the ball in the back of the net to bring us on to the next round. That's what I had to do," Mulnix said.

Fellow captain Tyler Van Antwerp never stopped admiring Mulnix throughout his absence from the field, noting that even on crutches, the senior was the Vikings' most vocal supporter on the bench. He was confident that Mulnix would have no trouble acclimating himself back into the lineup.

"That's what a leader does, and that's what a captain does especially," Van Antwerp said with an unmistakable note of pride. "Mason's one of those people who 's intelligent. We've been playing with him for a long time where if we threw him right in, the chemistry's there. I think the big thing about this team is chemistry. I would trust every one of these people to do anything."

Whitehall scored within the first minute of the game when Andon Palmer raced through the Eagle defense for a goal. Oakridge almost immediately responded with a tying score, but Palmer added a second goal later in the half when the ball came loose on a corner kick amidst a mass of bodies. Tommy Leeke added the Vikings' third goal with seven minutes to play before halftime.

Prince said Whitehall (7-9-1) missed some chances to add further to the lead late in the game, though perhaps it was all worth it to presage Mulnix' incredible finish.

"In the first half and second half, I thought we missed multiple opportunities to put it away," Prince said. "We just couldn't finish...I'm glad in the end, the kid came off the bench and did what he did."