Looking to bounce back from an opening game loss to No. 1-ranked Worland, the No. 2-ranked Powell Panthers welcomed a pair of Uinta County opponents to Powell on Thursday and Friday — starting the conference slate 2-0 after a pair of 4-0 wins against Mountain View and Lyman.

POWELL 4, MOUNTAIN VIEW 0

Starting out the matchups against Mountain View (0-3 overall, 0-3 3A West), the Panthers (2-1 overall, 2-0 3A West) sought to get back to playing their style of soccer early in the match.

“The bigger emphasis leading up to those two games was building out from the back,” coach David Gilliatt said. “I noticed pretty quickly in the Worland game that the back line was not comfortable with the ball and were really just kicking it.”

Powell was able to do that, taking control of the possession from the jump, creating opportunities in the attacking third of the field against the Buffalos.

After missing several opportunities, Powell got on the board eight minutes into the game.

A well worked corner kick routine between Chance Franks and Will Jackson resulted in a cross to the back post that Cameron Carpenter finished to give Powell a 1-0 lead.

Powell continued to search for a second over the next 14 minutes, and finally doubled the advantage on a strong run by Steven Stambaugh from his left back position to help give the Panthers a 2-0 lead.

Franks made it 3-0 just six minutes later, giving Powell control of the contest at the end of the half.

A cold, windy night continued to make it difficult for the Panthers and resulted in some minor injuries throughout the night.

Powell was finally able to find its fourth late in the second half, on a Morgan Hobbs goal with 8:30 left to cap off the 4-0 victory for the Panthers.

Holden Cooper finished with five saves in the contest to help the Panthers finish with a shutout win.

POWELL 4, LYMAN 0

After the victory Thursday night the Panthers turned around for a slightly warmer contest against Lyman on Friday, hoping to start the conference season 2-0 against the Eagles (0-2 overall, 0-2 3A West).

Powell again dominated possession from the start, but was unable to find the back of the net on numerous occasions.

Another strong finish by Stambaugh got the Panthers on the board, leading 1-0 with 17 minutes left in the first half.

That kept the Panthers on the front foot over the final 17 minutes of the half, and the floodgates opened against the Eagles for a short amount of time.

Hobbs got on the board with nine minutes left, and less than 15 seconds after the kickoff Franks scored to quickly make it 3-0 for the Panthers.

Powell continued to apply pressure, but was unable to extend the lead heading into the half.

Much like the previous day, the Panthers continued to attack in the second half but were unable to find the back of the net for a majority of the second half.

“What we did not make time for (this week) was finishing,” Gilliatt said. “We worked on it some, but that was not our emphasis leading up to the game and it showed. I was pleased with the moments where we had good possession and stretched the opponents. In the final third we had some decent chances but didn’t put them away like we should have.”

Hobbs got his second of the day to help secure the 4-0 victory, scoring with eight minutes left to finish the contest.

Cooper finished with seven saves in the game to help the Panthers finish with a shutout.

TOUGH RIVALRY CONTEST

Powell is scheduled to head on a short road trip next Wednesday, April 12, at 4 p.m. to Cody to take on the No. 3-ranked Broncs (3-1 overall, 3-0 3A West) in a battle for the top spot in the 3A West early in the season.

“Position for position they have a lot of similarities to us,” Gilliatt said. “There are some areas where they look stronger and some where we look stronger. It could be a close game, anything can happen… I look at the Worland game and think, ‘We weren’t ready for that.’ Now that we have more put together and [have] seen what areas we need to work on, I value this Cody game as a test of where we are at.”

That contest was originally scheduled for Tuesday (today) but inclement weather forecasted in Cody on Monday night into Tuesday forced a change in the schedule.

POWELL 4, MOUNTAIN VIEW 0

Goals — Steven Stambaugh 1, Cameron Carpenter 1, Morgan Hobbs 1, Chance Franks 1

Assists — Will Jackson 2, Jacob Orr 1, Chance Franks 1

Saves — Holden Cooper 5

POWELL 4, LYMAN 0

Goals — Morgan Hobbs 2, Steven Stambaugh 1, Chance Franks 1

Assists — Will Jackson 1, Morgan Hobbs 1, Chance Franks 1, Jason Medina 1

Saves — Holden Cooper 7