{gallery}04_28_09/boyssoccer{/gallery}Powell senior Gianluca Giarrizzo heads the ball during a joust near midfield for the Panthers. Powell snapped a two game slide with a 2-1 win over the Warriors on Friday. The team was back in action Monday night for a makeup contest against Pinedale. Tribune photo by Randal HorobikPanthers hold on for win over Worland The fifth-ranked Powell Panthers soccer team picked up a needed conference win on Friday afternoon with a 2-1 win at Worland. The Panthers also dropped a 3-1 decision to 4A Rock Springs on Saturday to move to 5-3-1 overall on the season.All of the scoring in Friday's game against Worland was confined to the final 10 minutes of the first half.

Junior Drayson Bratt broke a scoreless deadlock in the 31st minute, dribbling through a crowd of Worland defenders from the left wing to unleash a shot past the diving keeper and into the bottom corner of the goal. The goal came just moments after the Panthers' Gianluca Giarrizzo slid a one-on-one opportunity just wide of the post.

Powell's lead lasted for all of four minutes before Worland responded with an equalizer. The goal came off a corner kick as the Warriors were able to flick a header into the net.

The scoring flurry wasn't finished.

The Panthers picked up what turned out to be the game-winning goal in stoppage time at the end of the first half.

The point came as Powell's Mitch Barker was able to win the footrace to a loose ball in front of the Worland goal and drive it off the hands of the Warriors' goal keeper and into the net. The scramble situation was set up when an earlier shot attempt by the Panthers deflected off a Worland defender and bounded across the goal box.

Worland's long-ball scheme provided both clubs with scoring opportunities in the second half. The Warriors' best chance at a second goal came with roughly 18 minutes remaining in the contest. Panther goal keeper John Kissner went to his knees to make a diving save, but the deflection went straight to the foot of another Worland player, who fired it off the legs of a Panther defender covering the goal line. The ball again deflected back to the feet of a Worland forward, forcing Kissner to make another diving save to turn away the threat.

The Panthers' keeper also made a couple critical saves in the game's final minutes as the Warriors pushed players forward in an effort to force overtime.

The win snapped a two-game skid for the Panthers and provided the team with an important three points in the conference standings. Powell, which has played one fewer conference game than any of the other 3A West members, currently sits fourth in the league standings, three points in back of Worland.

The Panthers returned to Worland on Saturday for a non-conference tilt against Rock Springs. Barker gave the Panthers a 1-0 lead off a free kick that he had to attempt twice.

“He played a nice ball into the upper corner the first time, but it was whistled dead because Rock Springs moved before he made contact with the ball, so we had to do it again,” said Panther coach Pat D'Alessandro. “The second time I think their wall moved to compensate and shielded their goal keeper because he was able to drive it low into the corner.”

Powell led 1-0 at intermission but with his team scheduled to play three games over a four-day period, D'Alessandro opted to pull many of his varsity players in the second half.

“It wasn't a popular decision, but we had to save our legs for (Monday's) conference game,” said D'Alessandro.

“We also have a pair of games coming up later in the week.”

The Tigers proved to be too much in that contest, scoring a 3-1 victory over Powell.

Powell was scheduled to return to action on Monday with a conference game against Pinedale. The contest was played in Riverton after Pinedale's earlier attempt to play the game in Powell was snowed out.