THE FRONT ROW WITH JASON ELLIOTT: Saturday, Nov. 19, 2016

After playing defender on the soccer field for most of his career, former Post Falls High standout Brady Ulen got a chance to show he can score the ball just as well.

And in the process, he helped NCAA Division II Western Washington of Bellingham, Wash., make a little history in the process.

ULEN, A 5-foot-11, 175-pound senior, scored two goals and assisted on the game-winner as Western Washington upset Dixie State in the opening round of the NCAA Division II men’s soccer championship, in the Vikings’ first appearance in the tournament.

“All of us on the team were so hyped up,” Ulen said. “It’s something that’s never been achieved here before. We told ourselves beforehand that we’re not going to be there and just do nothing. We’re going to prove some people wrong.”

And it was Ulen — who started 28 of 29 games in his two years at the school — who put the Vikings ahead on penalty kicks, the first in the 74th minute and the second in the 87th to give the team the lead. After a late goal by Dixie State, Ulen assisted on the golden goal in the 97th minute to send Western to the win.

“I’ve been playing defense the entire time I’ve been here,” said Ulen, who finished with six career goals, five coming in 2016. “I basically landed the spot of our penalty kick taker this season. It was an awesome feeling to do that.”

Western Washington finished the season 10-5-4, winning six straight games before losing in the second round to UC San Diego on Nov. 13 in La Jolla, Calif. Ulen was a senior on the 2012 state 5A championship team at Post Falls High, and played as a sophomore at North Idaho College in 2014.

“We were on a roll at the end of the season,” Ulen said. “I’ve got no regrets on the season, and I’m very satisfied with how we worked toward the end of the season. We had the goal of not letting what anyone else was doing on the field affect us. We just went out and played our game.”

Western Washington outscored its Great Northwest Athletic Conference opponents 14-2 in the final six games.

OVER THE past three summers, Ulen has also played for the Spokane Shadow of the Evergreen Premier League.

“I can’t speak for all the teams in the league, but it’s a great way to get your mind ready for the season,” Ulen said. “(Spokane coach) Chad (Brown) won’t take anyone on the team that’s not serious about winning. He’s all about getting players for the next step in life. It was more about getting you ready for whatever was next on your plate.”

Ulen will graduate with a degree in multiple studies in the spring. What happens after that is still an unknown.

“It kind of depends on what happens,” Ulen said of continuing his playing career. “If the whole professional thing doesn’t work out with me, I’ll just focus my career on what I want to do long term. As far as my career goes, I actually want to go into the Secret Service. Right now, I’m just taking the steps necessary to me closer to having that happen.”

For now, Ulen hasn’t quite put away the soccer ball quite yet, now playing for the Bellingham United indoor soccer team.

“I’m 100 percent content with my playing days,” Ulen said. “Looking back, there were things I wish I would have done different. But there wasn’t a match I didn’t give 100 percent and play my heart out. If I continue to do that, I can’t be unsatisfied.”

Jason Elliott is a sports writer for the Coeur d’Alene Press. He can be reached by telephone at (208) 664-8176, Ext. 2020 or via email at jelliott@cdapress.com. Follow him on Twitter @JEPressSports.