Freshmen shine for Laramie in consolation final
May 20—ROCK SPRINGS — Throughout the course of the 2023 season, Laramie's girls soccer team has been led by its seniors and fueled by the play of its underclassmen.
On Saturday, in the consolation final, Laramie's freshmen proved their worth by accounting for all three goals in a 3-0 shutout win over Sheridan in the consolation final of the Class 4A State Soccer Tournament.
"The young players have been our leading goal scorers all year," Laramie coach Justine Tydings said. "The future is definitely bright for Laramie and Lady Plainsmen soccer."
Early on, both Laramie and Sheridan struggled to get on the board.
Both teams had high-quality chances to get the game's first goal, but neither was able to finish. Laramie had its first dangerous opportunity in the ninth minute, when a hard shot handcuffed Sheridan keeper Melanie Lamb. The ball fell to the turf and rolled onto the goal line, but the Lady Plainsmen were unable to get the ball into the net.
Laramie got some luck later on when a similar play happened to Sheridan. In the 21st, Sydney Warnke stole the ball from a Laramie defender and rifled a shot on net. The ball went off the fingertips of Mckenna Barham, off the bottom of the crossbar and straight down to the goal line. However, the ball did not cross, so the game remained scoreless.
Laramie had one more quality chance late in the half. Kaylee Kern broke free of everyone, but put a low-rolling shot just outside the far post.
Being so close to scoring but not converting can sometimes cause teams to feel like they need to press. This can lead to mistakes and goals against. But Laramie was determined not to let that happen.
"(We) just remembered who we were playing for," freshman forward Ava Wallhead said. "I just kept telling myself that, and that we had to keep going."
Laramie's patience was finally rewarded. In the 55th, Wallhead cashed in on a shot in tight to give Laramie a 1-0 lead. Shortly after, Wallhead added her second goal of the game when she broke free in the box and blasted a shot to the left side of the net.
In the 73rd minute, Laramie ended any chance of a Sheridan comeback. Devani Romero slipped pass the defense on a free kick and put home a header to give Laramie a 3-0 lead — a lead it would not relinquish.
"These games are always tough when you aren't playing for the state championship, but still have something to play for," Tydings said. "Our girls represented really well today. They represented Laramie Lady Plainsmen, our city, the institution, our seniors and all of that. I was really proud."
With the win, Laramie accomplished two things that not many teams get the opportunity to do; win and send its seniors off with a bang.
"We worked so hard (after losing to Kelly Walsh)," Wallhead said. "Our seniors definitely deserve it."
LARAMIE 3, SHERIDAN 0
Halftime: tied 0-0
Goal: Laramie, A. Wallhead (unassisted), 51, Laramie, A. Wallhead (Romero), 61, Laramie, Romero (M. Wallhead), 73rd.
Shots: Laramie 12, Sheridan 6. Shots on goal: Laramie 6, Sheridan 2. Saves: Laramie 2 (Barham), Sheridan 3 (Lamb).
Corner kicks: Laramie 1, Sheridan 7. Offsides: Laramie 0, Sheridan 1. Fouls: Laramie 7, Sheridan 4. Yellow cards: Laramie 2 (C. Wallhead, 21, Whisenant, 53).
Matt Atencio covers Laramie County prep sports for WyoSports. He can be reached at matencio@wyosports.net. Follow him on Twitter at @MattAtencio5.