{gallery}05_11_10/soccer{/gallery}Powell goalkeeper Sierra Baker lays out for a ball against Jackson on Friday afternoon. The Panthers punched their own ticket to the state soccer championships on Saturday with a 4-0 win over Pinedale. Tribune photo by Ben Wetzel. Shutout of Pinedale puts Powell girls in final eightAfter a sluggish start, the Powell High School girls' soccer team spent the second half relentlessly peppering Pinedale with shots in a 4-0 shutout that earned the squad a trip to the state tournament in two weeks. The Panthers also lost an 11-1 decision to Jackson on Friday.“We came out a little slow and weren't moving as well as we needed to,” said Panther head coach Brad Hammond. “At the half, we talked about making runs and attacking better and we were able to go out and get some goals on the board."

Powell and Pinedale spent much of the first half playing with the ball around midfield. Both teams were able to break free for occasional shots on goal, but neither team found the back of the net until Maddy Jones intercepted a Pinedale pass, won a one-on-one footrace with the ball and sent it past a diving keeper just before halftime.

Jones also played a role in the Panthers' second goal of the game, striking a shot that was initially deflected by Pinedale's defense, only to strike a second Pinedale player and ricochet into the net for an own-goal. Shelby Willis stretched Powell's lead to 3-0 later in the frame before the Panthers tacked on a fourth score late in the contest.

The Panthers held Pinedale without a shot on goal for much of the second half as the game's final 40 minutes were largely spent in Powell's offensive zone.

On Friday, the Panthers faced top-ranked Jackson. Despite the final margin, Hammond found several bright spots.

“When we faced them in Jackson, it took them 43 seconds to score on us,” Hammond recounted. “This time, we were in the 29th minute and still tied 0-0 with them. Once they scored that first goal, the floodgates sort of opened though.”

The Panthers also hurt themselves in the contest as they contributed a pair of own-goals to Jackson's total. Powell also provided Jackson with two penalty kick opportunities, both of which the visiting team converted into goals.

“I think we're only the second team to score on Jackson this season,” Hammond said of his team's lone score. “So being able to stick one in the net against them is a pretty big deal.”

Powell wraps up its regular season on Thursday with a home game against Cody.