Laramie Soccer Gets Two Wins Against Cheyenne East

It was a soccer sweep Wednesday night for Laramie, as both the Lady Plainsmen and Plainsmen defeated Cheyenne East in conference play.

The Laramie Plainsmen (6-1, 3-1) came back to beat Cheyenne East 2-1 last night. Alexis Eleuterio netted a goal on a free kick in the 75th minute of play from 20 yards out.

Plainsmen head coach Dan Benford said it was absolutely huge to get that one.

“We’re going to have to win a couple of these games like this, where we’re just fighting through and trying to get that last goal.”

Benford admitted that it came from his team putting pressure on East.

“Once we give ourselves the chance to get fouled or even take the shot, good things can happen. We got fouled there; something Alexis practices in our practices that exact shot; you know, he stepped up and hit it.”

The Thunderbirds took the lead with a goal by Brayden Parker in the 32nd minute. The Plainsmen got the equalizer in the 37th minute. Junior Alex Moreno scored off a feed from junior Enrique Isidro. The score remained deadlocked at 1-1 until the final five minutes.

Cheyenne East (3-4-1, 0-3-1) tried to counter late, but wasn’t able to get a clean shot on goal. The Thunderbirds even hand a corner kick opportunity.

This sets up a showdown with top-ranked Central in Cheyenne Friday at 6 p.m. from Riske Field.

Benford said, “I think this was a big showdown, too, for us. These guys have their heads on that we’re looking at one game at a time, and the state’s wide open right now, so we’re just kind of taking it one game at a time. Now that Central’s in our view, I think it gives us some good momentum, and I think it’ll be a great game Friday.”

Laramie Lady Plainsmen

Third-ranked Laramie topped the No.1 East Lady Thunderbirds in Cheyenne last night by a 1-0 final from Okie Blanchard Stadium.

The Lady Plainsmen wasted little time in scoring the game-winning goal. Junior Courtney Hamilton found junior Lexi Pulley with a ball just over a defender’s head for a breakaway 42 seconds into the match.

Laramie’s (5-1, 3-1) defense made it hold up, as keeper Morgan Bury had to make only three saves.

Cheyenne East (6-2, 3-1) was coming off victories over previous No. 1 Gillette, Sheridan and Scottsbluff, NE.

The Lady Plainsmen are in a three-way tie for first in the 4A East Conference with East and Gillette. They return home to host fifth-ranked Cheyenne Central Friday at 6 p.m. from Deti Stadium.