Heart Mountain U8 White shines in spring season

Win Snickers Cup, State Cup championships

Posted 7/5/19

The Heart Mountain U8 White soccer team had a spring season to remember, winning the Snickers Cup and State Cup championships.

Led by coaches Travis Rapp and Curtis Roher, the U8 were undefeated …

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Heart Mountain U8 White shines in spring season

Win Snickers Cup, State Cup championships

Posted

The Heart Mountain U8 White soccer team had a spring season to remember, winning the Snickers Cup and State Cup championships.

Led by coaches Travis Rapp and Curtis Roher, the U8 were undefeated in both championship runs, and according to Rapp peaked at the right time with the season-ending State Cup.

“It was an amazing experience working with the Heart Mountain United 8U White coed team,” Rapp said. “To see all of the growth from all six of our players was amazing. The whole team peaked at the last tournament and played the best soccer of their season. It’s rare when all of your players are playing well with smiles and achieving their goals at the same time.”

This year’s team included Reese Ouellette, Paele Rapp, Paxton Hernandez, Rilee Rohrer, Timber Eastman and Lilly Bertagnole.

 

Snickers Cup-Sheridan

Heart Mountain traveled to Sheridan May 4-5 for the Snickers Cup, posting a perfect 4-0 record and winning the championship.

Paced by Paele Rapp, Heart Mountain opened the tournament strong, with a 6-2 win over Rawlins. Rapp scored five goals in the contest, two in the first half and three in the second.

Against Lander in the second round, Heart Mountain posted a 3-0 shutout. Paele Rapp continued to find the back of the net, scoring two goals; Ouellette also scored in the contest. Bertagnole stopped a Lander corner kick, and coach Rapp praised the defensive play of Paele Rapp and Ouellette.

Paele Rapp was an offensive machine against the Casper Blades in round three, scoring all five Heart Mountain goals in a close 5-4 win. The U8 White squared off against Casper again, winning the title 6-4.

“Lots of back and forth; [We were] tied at the end of the game,” coach Rapp said. [We] scored two in overtime to win the championship. All players worked hard despite the miserable cold and rain to secure the win.”

 

Cody Shootout

Heart Mountain had a tough go at the Cody Shootout May 11-12, posting an 0-3 record against some strong competition.

The U8 White opened the tournament against Sheridan, and kept it close in the first half, trailing 3-1 at the break. Sheridan ran off nine straight goals in the second half, however, blowing the game open and securing the win. Reese Ouellette scored the first Heart Mountain goal of the game; Paele Rapp scored the last.

“Our players struggled defensively against a strong Sheridan team,” coach Rapp said.

Heart Mountain rebounded well in the second game against Riverton, keeping it close before losing a heartbreaker 5-4.

Against Green River in round three, Heart Mountain again had the lead at the half 5-4, led by four goals from Paele Rapp; Rapp also assisted on a goal by Rilee Rohrer, her first on the season.

The second half was all Green River, scoring four straight goals before Rapp answered with two more of his own. That was as close as Heart Mountain would get, as Green River scored an insurance goal to clinch the 9-7 win.

 

State Cup-Casper

Heart Mountain ended its season at the State Cup in Casper May 25-26, advancing all the way to the championship game and winning the title in a hard-fought 3-2 win over Worland.

“Our last game against Worland was one of the best youth games I’ve seen in a long time,” coach Rapp said. “We had players sprinting back to defend the goal, calling for help and giving each other support, and working together as a team to try and score goals.”

Heart Mountain opened the tournament with a dominating 8-1 win over Riverton, a team that had beat the U8 White at the Cody Shootout. Paele Rapp scored five goals in the contest, while teammate Reese Ouellette notched a hat trick with three goals.

“Great offensive game by Rapp and Ouellette,” coach Rapp said. “Lilly Bertagnole and Rilee Rohrer delivered great defense.”

Game two was another high-scoring affair, with Heart Mountain downing Green River 9-5. Rapp scored three more times in the second half and Paxton Hernandez found the back of the net for his first goal of the season, as the U8 White held on for the win.

Against Lander in the semifinals, Heart Mountain again looked to Paele Rapp for offense and the youngster didn’t disappoint, scoring six goals in a 7-3 win. The victory propelled the U8 White into the title game against Worland.

Heart Mountain and Worland were knotted at 1-1 at the half, with Reese Ouellette scoring the lone goal for the U8 White. Paele Rapp gave Heart Mountain a 2-1 lead with a goal in the second half; Worland answered to tie it up again at 2-2. Rapp found the back of the net for the gamewinner, giving Heart Mountain the championship.

“The crowd and excitement at that game was something that you usually don’t see until the kids get a little bit older,” coach Rapp said. “I’m really happy these kids were able to have that kind of success, because they worked really hard at practices and in the game to achieve it.”

Heart Mountain Soccer

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