Surviving blustery conditions on Friday and securing a dominant performance Saturday helped the Powell Panther girls’ soccer team grab hold of the second seed in the 3A West — defeating Lander 3-2 on Friday and Pinedale 5-0 on Saturday.

POWELL 3, LANDER 2

For the second time in six days the now No. 4-ranked Panthers (5-3 overall, 5-2 3A West) squared off with the No. 2-ranked Tigers (2-4 overall, 2-3 3A West) in a key matchup.

Lander escaped with a 3-2 victory over Powell in the first matchup and the Panthers were looking for revenge.

Blustery conditions made it difficult throughout the game, with Lander taking the wind in the first half.

The Tigers got on the board first, sneaking one past backup goalkeeper Patricia Christensen with 10 minutes left in the first half.

“It was tough to learn that Jaedyn [Hampton] was not going to be able to play this past weekend and, honestly, I was not sure what we were going to do at first,” coach Danny Agee said. “Thankfully Patricia volunteered to step up and she had her first keeper lesson Thursday night before the game.”

That goal proved to be the only score of the first half, with Lander leading 1-0 at the break.

Powell came out with a strong attack in the second half, using the wind to its advantage and creating chances against the Tigers.

Ivy Agee got the Panthers on the board 11:30 minutes into the second half, after a strong solo run up the left wing weaved through the Tiger defense and slotted it into the back of the net to make it 1-1.

Lander got the next score, after a through ball found its way behind the Powell defense and was slotted home with 23 minutes left on the clock.

In a play that felt like deja vu, Powell immediately responded for the second time in a week.

Directly off the kickoff the pass was dropped back to Agee, who launched the ball 60 yards over the head of the Lander keeper to tie the game 2-2.

Powell continued to be on the front foot, and the reward came for the Panthers this week with 12 minutes left on a set piece.

Agee curled in a ball directly into the net from a corner, giving her a hat-trick and the Panthers a hard fought 3-2 victory.

Powell was missing multiple starters in the contest, but coach Agee felt his team stepped up to answer the call.

“Having starters out of the rotation is always difficult, however, I did feel that we played Lander well the first time around and we were able to move a couple people into different positions to be prepared for a couple of their attackers,” coach Agee said. “All the ladies stepped up big and were able to get key stops in the first half with the wind in their face that gave us the opportunity to go ahead in the second half.”

Christensen finished with nine saves in the game for the Panthers.

POWELL 5, PINEDALE 0

On Saturday the Panthers ran into an easier contest than Friday, matching up with Pinedale (0-6 overall, 0-6 3A West).

Agee got the scoring going for the Panthers nine minutes in, scoring a penalty to make it 1-0.

That started a flurry of Powell goals, with Kenzi Fields getting a goal a minute later and Jordyn Dearcorn scoring a minute after Fields to quickly make it 3-0.

Three minutes later Coy Erickson got a goal, and Dearcorn capped off the scoring with 21 minutes left in the first half.

Coach Agee took the opportunity to rotate in most of his bench throughout the game, giving each player the chance to get varsity experience.

“We have a bench full of great ladies that have worked hard for the team all year and being able to give them so much playing time in Saturday’s game was awesome,” coach Agee said. “They all made improvements in their play and created several goal scoring opportunities. This type of confidence can only come from getting out there and experiencing the game.”

After taking control of the contest in the first half, the second half became a focus on possession for the Panthers to work on a different aspect of the game as a team.

“This was the first game that we were able to take control of the game early and having that lead did allow us to work on possession play,” coach Agee said. “It can be hard to replicate defensive pressure in training that forces the offense to make key decisions quickly and I hope that working on that Saturday will help us as we go forward.”

Christensen and Agee were in net for the Panthers, combining for two saves in the first shutout of the season for Powell.

CODY MATCHUP

Powell will stay at home this week, with one contest Friday at 4 p.m. — the No. 1-ranked Cody Fillies (8-0 overall, 7-0 3A West).

“There are a few things we will focus on this week as we prepare to play Cody for the second time, but I think ultimately it will come down to scoring opportunities,” coach Agee said. “Whichever team can give up the fewest chances will have a shot to win in the end. This is going to be a big game for the ladies, and it would be great to have as much support as possible at the game this Friday.”

POWELL 3, LANDER 2

Goals — Ivy Agee 3

Assists — Jordyn Dearcorn 1

Shots — Ivy Agee 14, Coy Erickson 5, Mary Shopa 2

Saves — Patricia Christensen 9

POWELL 5, PINEDALE 0

Goals — Jordyn Dearcorn 2, Kenzi Fields 1, Coy Erickson 1, Ivy Agee 1

Assists — Kenzi Fields 1

Shots — Coy Erickson 4, Ivy Agee 4, Kenzi Fields 3, Jordyn Dearcorn 2, Aubree Fisher 2, Emily Orr 2, Jasmyn Miller 1

Saves — Ivy Agee 2

3A WEST

Overall record then conference record

1. Cody 8-0 (24 points) … 7-0 (21 points)

2. Powell 5-3 (15 points) … 5-2 (15 points)

3. Green River 3-3 (10 points) … 3-3 (10 points)

4. Lander 2-4 (6 points) … 2-3 (6 points)

5. Mountain View 2-3 (6 points) … 2-3 (6 points)

6. Lyman 1-3 (3 points) … 1-3 (3 points)

7. Pinedale 0-6 (0 points) … 0-6 (0 points)