Late Jackson rally stuns Powell High Third-ranked Powell suffered its first boys soccer losses of the season last week. The Panthers fell to top-ranked Cody by a 3-0 margin Thursday before suffering heartbreak in a 4-3 overtime loss to Jackson on Saturday.The losses, which came in Powell's first action since a March 28 win over Torrington, drop the Panthers to 4-2-1 overall this season.Saturday's contest proved especially painful. The Panthers led 3-1 on the scoreboard in the second half, only to watch as Luis Quiroz netted back-to-back goals late for Jackson to deadlock the scoreboard at 3-3.Quiroz then completed a hat trick and buried a dagger in the Panthers by driving home a go-ahead goal off a free kick in the extra stanza.“We let our foot off the pedal late and it cost us,” said Powell head coach Pat D'Alessandro. “We lost some intensity and about the same time Jackson started playing with some desperation and they were able to tie things up.”Junior Drayson Bratt took a pass from Mitch Barker and beat the Broncs' keeper to his left for Powell's first goal of the game. Bratt extended Powell's lead minutes later with a steal and solo drive that finished with him sliding the ball off the keeper's fingers and into the net for a 2-0 lead. After Jackson cracked the scoreboard with a goal, senior Galen Mills put the Panthers back in front by two goals by bounding the ricochet of a Jason Rand shot attempt into goal. That set the stage for Quiroz's late hat trick. “Their tying goal came off a penalty kick after we committed a retaliatory foul in the box,” said D'Alessandro. “We just lost focus and got whistled and that's what cost us. We kind of gave it away there.”After watching his team surrender the pair of goals late in the second half, D'Alessandro was happy by his team's play in overtime.“We regrouped and outplayed them in overtime,” said D'Alessandro. “Their kid just made a phenomenal play on a free kick from about 25 yards, driving it high off the inside of the post and it kicked in. I really thought we were playing better than they were in overtime though.”The Panthers also fell 3-0 to 3A's top-ranked Cody Broncs. The visiting squad used a strong tailwind to keep the ball in Powell's half of the field throughout the first half.Powell surrendered a pair of goals in the first 20 minutes and managed just one first-half shot attempt as the team trailed 2-0 at intermission.Cody added a third goal just after the midway point of the second half to give the game its final margin.“Cody's a good team and we're not at that level quite yet,” said D'Alessandro. “We knew coming in that we'd have to survive the opening minutes until we got a feel for them, and sure enough they scored two quick ones on us and we're behind 2-0.”To his team's credit, D'Alessandro said he was pleased with the way his team adjusted to the pace of the contest as the game went along.“We did some things defensively to contain a couple of their better players, but unfortunately that limited our ability to get things going on offense,” he said. “I'm proud of the way we improved throughout the contest to handle what Cody was doing. Jordan Brown had a very strong game in goal for us.”The Panthers return to action on Friday with a game at Worland. The Panthers will stay in Worland on Saturday for a non-conference game against Rock Springs.

Late Jackson rally stuns Powell High

Third-ranked Powell suffered its first boys soccer losses of the season last week. The Panthers fell to top-ranked Cody by a 3-0 margin Thursday before suffering heartbreak in a 4-3 overtime loss to Jackson on Saturday.

The losses, which came in Powell's first action since a March 28 win over Torrington, drop the Panthers to 4-2-1 overall this season.

Saturday's contest proved especially painful. The Panthers led 3-1 on the scoreboard in the second half, only to watch as Luis Quiroz netted back-to-back goals late for Jackson to deadlock the scoreboard at 3-3.

Quiroz then completed a hat trick and buried a dagger in the Panthers by driving home a go-ahead goal off a free kick in the extra stanza.

“We let our foot off the pedal late and it cost us,” said Powell head coach Pat D'Alessandro. “We lost some intensity and about the same time Jackson started playing with some desperation and they were able to tie things up.”

Junior Drayson Bratt took a pass from Mitch Barker and beat the Broncs' keeper to his left for Powell's first goal of the game. Bratt extended Powell's lead minutes later with a steal and solo drive that finished with him sliding the ball off the keeper's fingers and into the net for a 2-0 lead.

After Jackson cracked the scoreboard with a goal, senior Galen Mills put the Panthers back in front by two goals by bounding the ricochet of a Jason Rand shot attempt into goal. That set the stage for Quiroz's late hat trick.

“Their tying goal came off a penalty kick after we committed a retaliatory foul in the box,” said D'Alessandro. “We just lost focus and got whistled and that's what cost us. We kind of gave it away there.”

After watching his team surrender the pair of goals late in the second half, D'Alessandro was happy by his team's play in overtime.

“We regrouped and outplayed them in overtime,” said D'Alessandro. “Their kid just made a phenomenal play on a free kick from about 25 yards, driving it high off the inside of the post and it kicked in. I really thought we were playing better than they were in overtime though.”

The Panthers also fell 3-0 to 3A's top-ranked Cody Broncs. The visiting squad used a strong tailwind to keep the ball in Powell's half of the field throughout the first half.

Powell surrendered a pair of goals in the first 20 minutes and managed just one first-half shot attempt as the team trailed 2-0 at intermission.

Cody added a third goal just after the midway point of the second half to give the game its final margin.

“Cody's a good team and we're not at that level quite yet,” said D'Alessandro. “We knew coming in that we'd have to survive the opening minutes until we got a feel for them, and sure enough they scored two quick ones on us and we're behind 2-0.”

To his team's credit, D'Alessandro said he was pleased with the way his team adjusted to the pace of the contest as the game went along.

“We did some things defensively to contain a couple of their better players, but unfortunately that limited our ability to get things going on offense,” he said. “I'm proud of the way we improved throughout the contest to handle what Cody was doing. Jordan Brown had a very strong game in goal for us.”

The Panthers return to action on Friday with a game at Worland. The Panthers will stay in Worland on Saturday for a non-conference game against Rock Springs.