Laramie drops semifinal game, will play for third
May 17—ROCK SPRINGS — The Laramie girls soccer team lost to Kelly Walsh 1-0 for the second consecutive season at the Wyoming Class 4A state tournament.
Work rate in the second half hurt the Plainsmen on Friday inside Tiger Stadium.
"We got a full scout in (Thursday) night," Laramie coach Kim Whisenant said. "We didn't give as much effort as we could have the whole game, and it came down to that."
Laramie played the first half going the same direction as the 42 mph wind gusts. The team fired off 11 shots, with six on net, causing Trojans senior goalkeeper Addy Harris to fall to her knees for a save in the opening minute.
Due to the wind, Laramie moved the ball exclusively on the ground. Sophomore Devani Romero nearly broke the tie in the 12th, but misplayed the ball off her foot and sent it wide right.
Romero almost scored again on the team's next possession after a 35-yard free kick was placed just out of reach and bounced out of play. Laramie came its closest to scoring midway through the frame with a shot off the crossbar.
The Trojans struggled to move the ball for much of the half, as any pass through the air failed to travel more than 20 yards without the wind reversing its direction. In the final 20 minutes of the frame, Kelly Walsh managed to threaten the Plainsmen.
A Trojans free kick was sent toward the penalty area, with Laramie senior goalkeeper McKenna Barham running out to get the ball. However, she got tangled with a Kelly Walsh forward and had to sprint back toward the net for a diving save.
In the second half, the Plainsmen knew it would be difficult to move the ball against the wind. However, they underestimated just how hard it would be.
"It was much harder than expected," sophomore Chloe Wallhead said. "It was hard to control and see where the ball would go after we kicked it."
The Plainsmen saw that in the frame's first minute when a free kick from sophomore Morgan Hansen was quickly sucked up by the wind. The wind pushed the ball out of bounds and changed possession.
"(The wind) was terrible, but both teams played in it," Whisenant said. "That's not an excuse. We needed to capitalize, and we didn't."
Shortly after, Laramie's backline fought off pressure, leading to one of two of the Plainsmen's shot attempts in the frame. Sophomore Ava Wallhead found herself with enough room inside the 20 yard line to get a shot off.
Unfortunately for the Plainsmen, the ball soared over the net. Kelly Walsh turned the pressure up to 10, looking to break the scoreless tie.
A Trojans throw-in from the right sideline was crossed into the box, but Barham dove to get her hands on it before the shot. A few minutes later, Kelly Walsh headed a corner over the net.
Unable to advance the ball, Laramie spent the next 10 minutes fighting off the Trojans. However, Kelly Walsh broke through in the 55th after senior Peyton Hill made good on an assist from classmate Bethany Strand.
"We stopped communicating," Wallhead said. "We stopped talking, and we couldn't connect."
A Hansen free kick in the 12th minute posed as one of the Plainsmen's final chances to even the score. She blasted the ball into the chest of Harris, and the Trojans were able to buy time until the final whistle.
Laramie will play in a third-place match against Riverton at 9 a.m. Saturday at Rock Springs High. The Wolverines lost to Jackson 3-0 in the semifinals.
"We need to win for our seniors," Wallhead said. "They've taught us about taking initiative, how to be a leader and showed us the work ethic needed."
{h3 style="text-align: center;"}KELLY WALSH 1, LARAMIE 0{/h3}
{div}Halftime: 0-0.{/div}
{div} {/div}
{div}Goals: Kelly Walsh, Hill (Strand) 55. {/div}
{div} {/div}
{div}Shots: Laramie 15, Kelly Walsh 12. Shots on goal: Laramie 7, Kelly Walsh 6. Saves: Laramie 6 (Barham), Kelly Walsh 6 (Barthel).{/div}
{div} {/div}
{div}Corner kicks: Laramie 4, Kelly Walsh 4. Offsides: Laramie 0, Kelly Walsh 0. Fouls: Laramie 5, Kelly Walsh 15.{/div}
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Austin Edmonds covers Laramie High, University of Wyoming and community athletics for WyoSports. He can be reached at aedmonds@wyosports.net. Follow him on X at @_austinedmonds.
