Laramie girls take No. 1 seed into regionals

May 9—The Laramie girls soccer team earned the No. 1 seed and a first-round bye at this weekend's Class 4A East Conference tournament in Cheyenne.

The Plainsmen earned the top seed after finishing the regular season 10-3-1 overall and 10-1-1 in conference play.

Earning the No. 1 seed isn't just symbolic to the Plainsmen. It rewarded Laramie with an automatic bid to the 4A state tournament May 16-18 in Rock Springs.

Although the Plainsmen don't have to worry about qualifying for state at regionals, their approach to postseason play hasn't changed.

"It's a nice bump (in confidence)," Laramie coach Kim Whisenant said. "... It's nice knowing you're going into the tournament No. 1. That was our objective from the beginning, but you never know how it will unfold.

"Now, I know what we can be. It's nice that we ended up where I feel we should've been."

Added sophomore Morgan Hansen: "We're super stoked. That's what we've been working for all year. I don't think we really thought it would happen, but it's nice to have some relief."

After the bye, Laramie starts regional play against the winner of No. 4-seeded Sheridan (7-6-1, 5-6-1) and No. 5 Cheyenne East (4-4-6, 2-4-6) in the semifinals at 3 p.m. Friday at East's Okie Blanchard Stadium.

The Plainsmen have treated practice this week just like they have all season, aside from taking a more tapered approach to physicality.

"(The first-round bye) won't affect us as much as people may think," freshman Shaylee Lucero said. "As a team, we're all super connected, and we respond well."

Added Whisenant: "(Wednesday) will be a bigger day. We need to get out and work on more offensive spread situations. Thursday will be lighter, with things like set pieces."

The Plainsmen don't have a preference for who they match up with in the semifinals. Lucero mentioned East playing a more physical brand of soccer, which bodes in Laramie's favor.

"If we can take care of who we are and we can make in-game adjustments based off what they show us, then we'll be fine," Whisenant said.

Added Lucero: "A more physical game gives us a chance to win 50-50 balls."

Hansen is proud of the way the team ended the regular season, and felt like the team bounced back from a 2-0 road loss to Campbell County last month. Laramie won three consecutive games to close out the conference slate.

As the Plainsmen have gotten a stronger sense of identity, their main focus has become not beating themselves. While Laramie has been good enough to overcome it, a common theme throughout the season has been slow first halves.

"(How the team wants to play) comes out in every game," Whisenant said. "It's just not always from whistle one. We know who we are and what we can present to a team.

"Sometimes it doesn't unfold that way because of the wind or silly outside factors. We don't even need to talk about things anymore. The kids just know, and can manage it on the field."

In addition to the team's seniors, Lucero believes Hansen has been there to step up repeatedly. Hansen is a consistent defensive presence and has found the back of the net multiple times this season.

"Morgan has let people know where to be and how to fix things," Lucero said. "She's definitely helped a lot in big moments."

Hansen thinks the team's communication from the start of the season to now has improved in every aspect. She mentioned everyone having to learn how be better in that regard after graduating the team's top communicator from a season ago.

"We still have a lot of work to do," Hansen said. "We need to talk all of the time, and between all of the lines. Not just the back line."

The Plainsmen want to play fast and, preferably, with a lead. Hansen wants to see them avoid getting down after a few missed shots and stick to the attack with the same intensity.

"(Chances) always come around," Hansen said. "We've gotten a lot better at connecting passes and playing quick. We want to attack with our amazing offense, but at the same time, our defense has shown us they can play really well, too."

Lucero wants to see the team be more aggressive in the postseason. She has noticed the Plainsmen making avoidable mistakes, and feels they can be corrected.

"We've held the ball too long at our feet," Lucero said. "Carrying it through the middle has been one of our worst mistakes, or not shooting it when we're supposed to be and passing it off to get stolen."

Expectations are naturally high with taking the No. 1 seed into regionals. But the Plainsmen aren't satisfied with how their season has gone just yet.

"Hopefully, we set the tone and score a couple of goals early," Whisenant said. "We get these great builds, then we miss and hang our head. If we keep attacking and pressing in those moments, shots will fall for us."

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.