Boys lose heartbreaker; girls overpowered

WORLAND — There were two results of the Powell High School boys soccer game Tuesday in Worland: the one on the scoreboard and the one from Travis Rapp’s perspective.

“In my opinion, we just won that game; the scoreboard doesn’t show it ... and that’s not [my players’] fault,” the Powell head coach said following the Panthers’ tough 2-1 3A Northwest Conference overtime loss to the Worland Warriors.

Rapp’s assessment came following three questionable calls that led to two Worland penalty kicks — both converted — and a PHS player being red carded and ejected from the game.

With PHS (1-2, 1-1) clinging to a 1-0 lead with less than five minutes remaining, a scramble for a loose ball near the Panther net saw Powell goalkeeper Sean Wagner tumble within a crowd of players, bringing a Warrior down with him in the process. Officials ruled the contact intentional and awarded Worland (2-2, 1-0) a penalty kick.

After a brief officials meeting, time melted away into the 77th minute before Worland’s Jacob Lamm took the kick and tied the match at one with a shot that got past Wagner to the left.

In the 78th minute, PHS sophomore TJ Abraham, who earlier had been given a yellow card after several aggressive plays, collided with Worland goalkeeper Braedon Page and a Warrior defender while attempting a header near the WHS goal. Abraham was left standing following the collision, but Page went to the ground, inciting a red card from officials and an ejection for Abraham.

The match eventually went into overtime, and in the first 10-minute overtime half, Worland was awarded another penalty kick, and Lamm made good again, this time with a shot that deflected off Wagner’s hands and into the Panther net.

“You outplay a team for 80 minutes, and there are three calls that are made in the box, two of them go for [Worland’s] PKs and the other one gives my forward a red card,” Rapp said. “So, we outplayed Worland the entire game, and we ended up with a loss and that’s the way it happens sometimes.”

After the game, Rapp told the official who issued the red card that he would be writing an official complaint about the call on Abraham. Because of this, Rapp chose not to comment further on the calls he did not agree with.

Worland fired 25 shots toward the Panther goal. PHS countered with eight shots on goal. Wagner made 23 saves.

It was an up-and-down day for Abraham, who accounted for PHS’ lone goal following a perfect pass from sophomore Owen Dent and some craft legwork.

After a scoreless first half, Dent was alone near the corner of the Worland box in the 57th minute when he crossed a kick over to an open Abraham. Abraham worked past a defender before kicking with his left foot (his non-dominant foot) and curving his shot around Page.

“I’ve been working on my left foot quite a bit lately because you can’t just be dominant on one side,” Abraham said. “Owen had a beautiful ball to me ... I had a good touch off of it, and you can’t hesitate; you just rip it, and I did and it went in.”

Because of the red card, Abraham will serve a one-game suspension. He will miss the first game of the Worland Invitational on Saturday. But despite his infractions against the Warriors, he doesn’t intend to curb his style of play.

“I don’t back down; I like to go, go, go,” Abraham said. “Sometimes it gets me ... some calls don’t go your way lots of times, but that’s just how it goes. You’ve just got to keep playing hard, keep fighting for it, and some go your way, some don’t.”

The Panthers return to Worland for the invitational this weekend and being play with an 11:30 a.m. match against Jackson Hole. A 4:30 p.m. battle against Evanston will follow.

Lack of offense hurts Lady Panthers again

For several moments in the second half of the Powell girls’ game against Worland, senior Jourdyn Haire laid face down on the ground near the Warrior net before standing up and yelling to her father, Lady Panthers head coach Jack Haire.

“What was that?” Jourdyn Haire said after a Warrior player shoved her down without penalty.

“I don’t know what that was,” the coach shouted back.

In a game that lacked answers for the Lady Panthers from start to finish, Worland dominated PHS’ side of the field and its net, and ultimately came away with a 6-1 3A Northwest Conference victory.

The No. 2-ranked Warriors (4-1, 1-0) fired more than 30 shots at PHS sophomore goalkeeper Gabby Hirsch, harassing her with three goals before and after halftime to send Powell (1-2, 0-2) to its second straight loss.

PHS countered with just five shots.

“We really didn’t pass the ball around too well,” coach Haire said. “Our controls were not real good, honestly.”

Hirsch made 16 saves on the day, and her coach refused to put all the blame on the youngster.

“I have to give it to my keeper — she made 16 saves,” he said. “But some of those shots were just great shots, and you have to give credit to Worland’s forwards. This team is ranked second for a reason.”

Worland scored in the sixth minute when Haley Schneider dribbled past PHS’ Daisy Florian and fired a shot past Hirsch when she came up into the box to defend.

In the 32nd minute, the hosts added what would be the game-winner when Carly King fired a cross over the outstretched hands of Hirsch and into the upper left corner of the Lady Panther net for a 2-0 lead.

The blowout was on late in the first half when a Worland shot was deflected by Hirsch, but took an unfortunate hop over the goal line.

Down 4-0 in the 49th minute, Jourdyn Haire took the ball to the Warriors’ box and snuck a shot past WHS goalkeeper Aubrey Goodrick. But Worland answered one minute later when Schneider added her second score of the day.

After erupting for five goals in a season-opening win over Pinedale at home on March 31, the Lady Panthers have been limited to one goal over their past two games. When asked what can fix his team’s recent offensive woes, coach Haire was again left searching for an answer.

“I’m not sure yet,” he said.

PHS will travel to the Green River Invitational on Friday for matches against Rock Springs at 11:20 a.m. and Star Valley at 2 p.m. The Lady Panthers will continue play in Green River on Saturday, but times and opponents are to be decided.