A silver linings weekend for soccer

Posted 5/3/16

“That was just one of those games where we came out flat,” head coach Travis Rapp said. “T.J. Abraham got a score for us, but we just didn’t come to play. Then in the second half I just started subbing to save our legs for Saturday, and they …

This item is available in full to subscribers.

Please log in to continue

E-mail
Password
Log in

A silver linings weekend for soccer

Posted

There were no wins for Powell soccer this weekend, but there were positives taken from losses to both Buffalo and Cody.

The one bit of a sour taste came from the Panther boys at Buffalo Friday, where they took a 5-1 loss to the Bison.

“That was just one of those games where we came out flat,” head coach Travis Rapp said. “T.J. Abraham got a score for us, but we just didn’t come to play. Then in the second half I just started subbing to save our legs for Saturday, and they scored a couple more times.”

The Lady Panthers, meanwhile, fell by a 6-2 score to the visiting Bison.

That score, however, was quite misleading as Buffalo took a 2-0 lead by halftime but was played to a virtual standstill in the second half.

“We, essentially, scored two of their goals for them,” head coach Jack Haire said. “So we really played them even in the second half. The girls are really playing better and more confident as a team.”

That feeling carried over into Saturday’s late morning match against the Fillies of Cody, the No. 3 team in the 3A state rankings.

And though the final result was a 2-0 loss, there was plenty for coach Haire and his team to be happy about, especially considering in the teams’ first meeting. Cody took a 10-0 win.

“That is one of the top teams in the state and we held them to just one goal for most of the game,” Haire said. “It’s not so much about getting a win, but about the girls coming together and improving to play at this level that is so great to see.”

Saturday’s afternoon match saw a heartbreaker as the Powell boys fell 3-2 to the Broncs, with many opportunities that went by the wayside.

The match was 0-0 late in the first half when a little flurry by Cody knocked it up to a 2-0 margin.

“Their first goal came on a corner kick,” Rapp said. “Sean (Wagner) got smashed and caught up in a dogpile, which allowed Cody to just tap it in.”

Then, just four minutes later, an aggressive Powell defender got caught out of position and the Broncs took advantage with their second goal.

The lead extended to 3-0 in the second half before the Panthers would start their charge.

Trey Ouellette put on a dribbling clinic to lead to Powell’s first score.

“He dribbled the ball through the entire Cody defense, past the goalkeeper and tapped it in,” Rapp said.

Owen Dent then blasted one into the net to pull the Panthers to within one, and things seemed to even up when Brian Crawford got a shot past the Broncs keeper.

The goal was called back, however, on a hand ball and though more opportunities would come, the 3-2 margin would hold until the final whistle.

“We had plenty of chances, putting 18 shots on frame, but we didn’t capitalize” Rapp said. “We hit the post once, missed on wide-open nets twice and just continued to have issues finishing the attack. We had great build up, possessed the ball well, but it just seemed like no matter what we did, the ball wouldn’t enter the mouth of the goal.

“The heart and effort was there to close out the game,” he added. “Now we just have to prove our ability to ourselves and our fans.”

Powell’s next chance to do that will be Friday with a visit from Pinedale.

The girls match is scheduled to kick off at 4 p.m. and the boys at 6 p.m.

Comments