Powell Middle School soccer was officially approved as a sporting option for the Cubs last spring after three years as a club team, and the Cub girls team came out to show last Thursday that it intends to be a strong program with a last minute victory over Worland 3-2.

Wind and below average temperatures played a strong factor in the game between the Cubs and the Braves, with both teams searching for weaknesses early in the contest.

Ava Gilliatt found the breakthrough for the Cubs, using her speed on a breakaway to put Powell ahead with 18 minutes left in the first half.

Worland did not go away, scoring a goal with just a minute remaining in the half to tie the game 1-1.

Unfortunately for the Braves, the Cubs had an answer before the half.

Jesi Agee sent a long free kick into the box, and a scramble led to Emery Hernandez poking the ball past the Worland keeper to make it 2-1 in favor of Powell heading into the half.

“Watching the girls come back from getting scored on was a huge bonus for us,” coach Stan Hedges said. “Many times, when teams are ahead and get scored on they lay down and give up. That did not happen.”

Powell and Worland continued to battle back and forth throughout the second half, with the Cubs unable to extend the lead and the Braves unable to tie the contest for most of the remaining contest.

Worland found its goal with just 2:30 minutes remaining, seemingly sending the game towards a tie.

Agee answered just a minute later, firing a long range shot that snuck past the Worland keeper to give the Cubs the late victory in their first official game.

“Each time Worland scored, we answered back in less than a minute, which shows their tenacity and fight on the field,” Hedges said. “Plus, it was cool for posterity that we won the first ever official Powell Middle School soccer game. I hope this continues for a very long time with many winning seasons but it was amazing to be part of the first win.”

With this being the first official season of the program, the middle school coaches have communicated with high school coaches Danny Agee and David Gilliatt in order to find out what they want them to learn before heading to the next level over the next couple of years.

“The lessons we want them to take to the next level is the importance of good passing and trapping. Any good series of plays and scored goals starts with effective passing and trapping,” Hedges said. “The other lesson is quality defense. Far too often inexperienced players want to run in and ninja kick the ball away from the opposing team. There are so many problems with that, the biggest one is that it is so easy to counter.”

SEASON CONTINUES

The month-long season is scheduled to continue Thursday (today) at 3 p.m. with a game against Riverton in Powell.

Hedges said he knows that Riverton will be a tough team, and the Cubs will do their best to answer back.

After Thursday, Powell will head down to Worland, hosting a contest with Rawlins at 11 a.m. on Saturday.

“All we can do is work on our passing, conditioning and working together as a team,” Hedges said. “As long as we can work together, we will be competitive against any team.”