Lady Panthers end 3A tourney with tough loss

JACKSON HOLE — While it appeared as though the Powell High School Lady Panthers were finally turning the page, they only managed to turn it to a familiar chapter of their season-long story.

After falling to Lander Valley in the opener of the Class 3A State Soccer Tournament on Thursday in Jackson Hole, PHS was ready to upset Cody on Friday before having victory snatched away and replaced with defeat to end its season on a tough note.

The Lady Panthers finished their season 7-12 after 5-0 and 1-0 losses to Lander and Cody, respectively.

Still, even after an up-and-down season, Powell head coach Jack Haire walked away from the state tourney with nothing but positive words about his squad.

“This season has been a lot of up and down. But in the end, this season has been a complete success,” the coach said. “Our record doesn’t show it, but I look at more than just wins-losses; I look for team unity. I want these girls to be good examples for their families and their community, and throughout the year we’ve seen, I’ve seen it.

“Even at the end, we were loving on each other. We weren’t upset with each other, we were positive and encouraging and that’s all you can ask for.”

Lander Valley 5, Powell 0

Powell’s only regular-season matchup against the Lady Tigers came on May 8, with the Lady Panthers dropping a 1-0 decision on the road. The close outcome of that game had Haire feeling confident heading into the rematch, but he admitted Lander may have been more prepared for the second meeting.

“We just weren’t playing good. Lander played differently; I think they did their homework a little more than we did,” Haire suggested. “It’s hard to explain a 5-0 loss. They shut us down and it disrupted our play.”

With Lander leading 3-0 near the 50th minute, Haire opted to go with a majority of his junior varsity players, a move he said was meant to build the PHS program.

“I put most of my JV in to get them experience at state for the future,” he said.

Powell managed nine shots on the Lady Tigers’ net. PHS sophomore Gabby Hirsch recorded 13 saves in goal.

Cody 1, Powell 0

In the 47th minute of Friday’s consolation matchup, PHS senior Jourdyn Haire collected a pass as she broke away from the Cody defense and fired the ball past Cody goalkeeper Raven Johnson.

A mass of Lady Panthers swarmed Haire, but the celebration didn’t last long. Officials ruled Haire was offsides, negating a goal that would’ve put PHS ahead 1-0 in a tight, tense battle.

The call seemingly deflated PHS, as Cody went on to keep the Lady Panthers scoreless and take a lead in the 71st minute, effectively ending Powell’s season.

“We’ve had quite a few games like that unfortunately, where the game is left up to the refs,” said coach Haire, who was visibly upset after the match. “That was a tough game and I think it’ll take a while to get over that one.”

Powell had another scoring opportunity wiped away in the second half when senior Rebecca Pratt tapped in a goal just as she collided with an opponent. The two nearest officials ruled fouls on either player, but after convening, the score was negated and the ball went to Cody.

“We all felt like we won that game,” Haire reiterated.

Haire wasn’t in the best of moods heading into the game after being told by Cody head coach Marian Miears in a coach’s meeting the night prior that she would start the game with JV players.

“When she told me that, it pretty much ticked me off,” Haire said. “We’re at state, you’re playing us and I don’t want you to think it’s an easy game.

“I went back to the hotel, told the girls about that and how I felt about it, and asked them to go back to their rooms and think about how they could improve. They came out Friday and played well ... they played really good.”

Jourdyn Haire, coach Haire’s daughter, said despite the result, her team played to its potential.

“Honestly, that was probably one of our best games that we played, and I think we shocked Cody,” she said. “It was heartbreaking that we lost, because in our hearts we won, but we gave it our all.”

PHS senior Aimee Kawano recognized a strong effort from both teams, and gave props to the Fillies.

“Some calls didn’t go both ways, for Cody or Powell,” she said. “Cody was just able to score at the right moment ... that was the difference.”

Despite being shutout, the Lady Panthers’ offense appeared to be clicking as PHS fired 22 shots at Johnson. Unfortunately, most of those shots were wide of the Cody goal or just over the top rail, inciting gasps, then sighs from the PHS faithful on the sidelines.

Hirsch made 11 saves for Powell.