Still in the race for the state tournament, the Panther girls’ soccer team welcomed the Worland Warriors to Powell on Monday, losing a key game that may go a long way in determining the postseason.

The two teams exchanged possession early on, as the Panthers (3-8 overall, 2-6 3A West) and Warriors (5-5 overall, 3-4 3A West) created minimal opportunities on goal in the first 12 minutes.

After the first 12 minutes, all of the momentum shifted in favor of the Warriors.

“Going into the game, the girls were prepared for a tough team,” said girls’ head coach Kaitlin Loeffen. “We held them to no score in the first 12 minutes.” 

An open Warrior found her head on the end of a corner, and the ball flew past the Panther defense into the back of the net, making it 1-0.

Three minutes later, a bouncing ball at the edge of the 18 found an open Warrior, and a volley found its way into the top corner to make it 2-0.

“There were multiple times where we let girls go unmarked and they capitalized. Good teams do that,” Loeffen said. “I tried to tell the girls that it is every play when you are somewhat of the underdog. You cannot have miscommunications, stabbing at the ball, girls going unmarked ­­­— or going up the middle results in goals.”

Less than 30 seconds later, Worland found the back of the net again.

A first-time kick from a Worland defender caught the wind and sailed 53 yards over junior goalkeeper Taylor SanFilippo into the back of the net.

“Give it to our keeper.  She works really hard,” Loeffen said. “High shots are one of our weaknesses. I think with more experience after her first year of varsity experience — and if we continue to work with her — she will learn from it. She took ownership of that.  It was just a fantastic shot on target with the wind.”

The Warriors were not done.

Worland added one last goal in the first half as a loose ball found a Warrior at the top of the box, and she slotted it far post past the Panthers to make it 4-0.

In the second half, the two teams exchanged possession much like the first half.

Worland added a fifth just eight minutes into the half, as a Worland forward sprinted past the Panther defense and slid it past SanFilippo.

An inch-perfect pass slipped past the Panther defense as the Warriors made it 6-0 with 24 minutes left.

Powell created opportunities over the final 24 minutes, but the best opportunity for the Panthers hit off the crossbar and fell to the Worland goalkeeper.

The game remained scoreless over the final 24 minutes, as Worland ran away with it 6-0.

“I was not disappointed in the way we played, but I think they highlighted some of our weak spots,” Loeffen said.

After the loss, Powell lost ground in the battle for a state tournament berth as it now sits 1 1/2 games behind Worland for the fourth position.

The Panthers have four games remaining in the season, including a rematch against the Warriors in Worland on May 12.

RIVALRY GAME

In their next contest, the Panthers will welcome the No. 1 ranked team in the state, their Park County rivals the Cody Fillies (8-0 overall, 7-0 3A West), on Friday at 3 p.m.

The previous matchup on March 29 between the two teams resulted in a 5-0 victory for the Fillies, as the two teams battled the elements in a wind-chilled game.

“I think we know what to expect,” Loeffen said. “If we can defend them like we have in practice I would be thrilled. Obviously, we want to limit their shots. We will battle.  Hopefully our defense can take away what Cody was able to do so well against us in the first match.”