Two key wins set the Powell Panther boys’ soccer team up in prime position to earn a state tournament berth this upcoming weekend, defeating Lander 2-0 last Tuesday, April 29, and rolling past Pinedale 7-1 on Saturday in the final home game of the regular season.

POWELL 2, LANDER 0

Starting off the final home games, the Panthers (6-4 overall, 4-3 3A West) welcomed in the Tigers (5-3 overall, 3-3 3A West) with eyes set on a turnaround from a 6-0 loss earlier in the year.

Lander had some chances early on as the Panthers chose their moments to press and attack the opposition, with the teams scoreless throughout the first half.

Powell had its best chance of the first half off a corner that stayed in the box with 15 minutes left, but neither team got past the opposition keeper as it was 0-0 at the break.

“They executed the win against Lander almost perfectly,” coach David Gilliatt said. “A couple areas for improvement still, but overall they did really well. As a coach, it’s always awesome to see something that you’ve worked on as a team in practice get realized in a game effectively.”

The Panthers didn’t take long to take advantage of their opportunities in the second half, as Trevon Abraham  launched a long throw into the box, headed on by Ethan Frame before Braxton Batt put it home to give Powell the lead with 38:38 remaining.

Powell’s defense continued to lock down the opposition throughout the second half, limiting chances for Lander to long-range efforts and not allowing the visitors to find a tying goal.

“The guys were disciplined and worked for each other for the entirety of the game,” Gilliatt said. “I wasn’t surprised at the result so much as I was proud of the team for achieving it.”

The Panthers held out long enough to get a second goal to seal the win, when Batt found his way behind the defense with just minutes remaining and put it past the keeper to make it 2-0.

“Sometimes being a coach is about convincing a team what they are capable of,” Gilliatt said. “The win against a top-ranked team in the state is really good for our morale as we close in on the postseason … It’s cool to win your first games, but the ones that matter most are often at the end and will require the greatest level of organization and effort. I hope that we can use this momentum and confidence to carry us through to the games that matter most.”

Ending with the win was a huge step towards the postseason for the Panthers, putting them in a strong position to make the state tournament after the previous lopsided loss to the Tigers.

“I think the win meant more due to the fact that Lander had really beat us so lopsidedly in our matchup,” Gilliatt said. “Overall, I was really proud of the whole team for getting the win and shutout on Tuesday.”

POWELL 7, PINEDALE 1

That momentum-swinging win on Tuesday sent the Panthers into another key matchup Saturday against the Wranglers (0-7 overall, 0-6 3A West), a team the Panthers scraped by 2-1 on the road in April.

Powell got on the board much earlier in the contest Saturday, starting with a long range effort from Cody Fisher to make it 1-0 with 33:30 left in the first half.

The Panthers kept pressing the initiative, finding more opportunities before Frame got the second goal of the game with 15:32 left on a fast break, putting it past the keeper to make it 2-0.

Pinedale responded shortly after, putting in a corner to make it 2-1 with 14:38 left.

Batt got on the board with 13 minutes left after placing a long ball over the Wrangler keeper and making it 3-1.

Gianreye D’Alessandro got his first career goal with 10:15 left, scoring off a Frame cross to make it 4-1.

Batt got his second goal with 9:30 left after getting in behind the defense once again, and Fisher finished the first half scoring at 6-1 on a long free kick with three minutes left.

“I think we stuck to our game plan against Pinedale. Not a lot of deviation. They didn’t have the same technical abilities that Lander had but they are an athletic group that always works hard,” Gilliatt said. “We saw that game as a must win and didn’t overlook them at all, something I thought we did the first time we played them.”

In the second half the Panthers got plenty of opportunities for bench players to play, adding one more goal with 10:23 left in the game on an own goal by the Wranglers to make the final score 7-1.

KEY GAMES

Heading down to the final two weeks of the season the Panthers will be taking on Bridger Valley competition, and barring any collapse during the final two weeks the Panthers will likely be heading to the state tournament in Gillette.

Powell just needs one point from its remaining three games or a loss by Lyman to guarantee their spot at the state tournament. The Panthers currently sit third and are aiming for a high seed at state.

The Panthers will take on the Mountain View Buffalos (6-1 overall, 5-1 3A West) at 5 p.m. on Friday, the team sitting just ahead of Powell in the standings in second, and a team that earned a 1-0 win at Powell in April.

Powell then takes on the Lyman Eagles (2-5 overall, 1-5 3A West) at noon on Saturday, a team Powell defeated 7-3 in April.

“The Pinedale game caused some problems to surface that I think we can address this week,” Gilliatt said. “I’d like to use that to really fine tune our strategy going forward and really focus on some different positions and the roles they play.”

3A WEST STANDINGS

Wins earn three points, teams earn an extra point if tied at the end of regulation and lost in a shootout. Overall record then conference record

1. Cody — 10-1, 30 points; 6-1, 18 points

2. Mountain View — 6-1, 18 points; 5-1, 15 points

3. Powell — 6-4, 18 points; 4-3, 12 points

4. Lander — 5-3, 15 points; 3-3 9 points

5. Lyman — 2-5, 6 points; 1-5, 3 points

6. Pinedale — 0-7, 0 points; 0-6, 0 points