Ten years, or approximately 3,654 days, separated the first and second wins over Cody in the 22-year history of the Powell Panther girls’ soccer team, with the Panthers enjoying a sensational second half on the road against their rivals en route to a 6-3 victory last Tuesday night.

POWELL 6, CODY 3

The third contest in five days matched the Panthers (8-5 overall, 6-3 3A West) against the Fillies (8-2 overall, 6-2 3A West) last Tuesday in the second match of the season between the teams after Cody defeated Powell 6-2 earlier in April.

The hosts got on the board first, scoring after a raised offside flag led to confusion at the back, with the Fillies taking advantage and putting it in the back of the net to lead 1-0 after five minutes.

That slow start continued for the Panthers, as Cody took advantage once again and found the back of the net to lead 2-0 eight minutes in.

Powell found its footing shortly after, with Ivy Agee hitting a strong left-footed effort towards the net that hit the Filly goalkeeper’s hand but still found its way into the net to make it 2-1.

Just over a minute later the Panthers found their equalizer, as Emery Hernandez found her way behind the defense and slotted it into the back of the net to make it 2-2.

Unfortunately Cody’s early scoring continued, with the Fillies scoring at the near post with 25 minutes left in the first half.

Neither team found a goal the rest of the half despite back-and-forth play, with Cody holding on to the 3-2 lead.

Powell got its equalizer early in the second half, after Ivy Agee converted a penalty four minutes into the half and made it 3-3.

“We really didn’t change anything up during the game but instead tried to start focusing on a few small things we weren’t doing well,” coach Danny Agee said. “We marked up better in the back and defensive midfield areas and we started moving through the midfield and connecting our passes. This opened up opportunities to get to goal.”

That helped the Panthers gain their footing, creating attacking opportunities and finally taking the lead early in the second half.

A Coy Erickson cross went perfectly into the box, finding its way to Ava Gilliatt who put it in the back of the net to give Powell the 4-3 lead 14 minutes into the second half.

“We were very proud of the ladies for how they responded after those first couple goals and they played very well in the second half especially,” coach Agee said. “They really pushed the intensity of the game and played quality soccer from the goalkeeper up to the forwards. Everyone did their job.”

Powell held off any opportunities from the Fillies over the next 15 minutes, before Agee completed her hat trick.

She found herself behind the Filly defense, placing it past the keeper in a one-on-one scenario to push the lead to 5-3.

Gilliatt put the finishing touches on the victory, putting in her second at the near post with just a minute remaining to give Powell the 6-3 win, the first for the Panthers since April 22, 2014.

“The win meant a great deal because it allows us to go into the state tournament knowing that we have beaten some of the best teams out there, and that is a great advantage to have,” coach Agee said. “There are many strong teams in the state and we will need to show up and play well but this definitely shows that we deserve to be there.”

STATE BERTH

For the second year in a row the Panthers will be heading to the state tournament in Green River, having locked up at least a spot in the top four after losses by Lyman and Mountain View this past weekend.

The victory moved Powell to 19 points, currently in third place while both Bridger Valley opponents have six points each sitting in fifth and sixth place respectively while only being able to earn 12 points the rest of the season.

“It is a great feeling to officially qualify for state as that is never a certainty,” coach Agee said. 

HOME WEEKEND

The contest in Cody was the final time for the Panthers on the road until that state tournament starting May 16, with Powell hosting three final games to end the regular season.

That home stand will begin with those Bridger Valley opponents, starting with Mountain View (4-6 overall, 2-6 3A West) at 4 p.m. on Friday.

Powell then turns around and hosts Lyman (3-8 overall, 2-6 3A West) at 10 a.m. on Saturday.

“We are looking to simply keep moving forward as we go into these last games and hopefully we can get a few wins and get seeded as high as possible.”

3A WEST STANDINGS

(Overall record then conference record)

1. Lander — 7-3, 22 points; 7-1, 22 points

2. Cody — 8-2, 24 points; 7-2, 21 points

3. Powell — 8-5, 25 points; 6-3, 19 points

4. Green River — 8-3, 24 points; 6-2, 18 points

5. Mountain View — 4-6, 12 points; 2-6, 6 points

6. Lyman — 3-8, 9 points; 2-6, 6 points

7. Pinedale — 1-12, 3 points; 0-9, 0 points