Camels Surge Past Laramie for State Soccer Title
The Laramie Lady Plainsmen couldn’t overcome a late surge by Gillette and lost to the Camels, 4-1, in the 4A Girls State Championship match Saturday.
Laramie fell short of their fifth girls’ soccer title in school history. On the other side, Gillette dethroned the defending champion Lady Plainsmen, who beat them for the 2016 title.
Laramie High School head coach Kim Whisenant gave credit to the Camels and their depth.
“I think we gave it our all during that semifinal game (Friday win over East) this season. We had some bumps in the road with some personnel, so all things considering, I thought the kids fought hard for that second place finish.”
Gillette scored on a small breakaway for an early 1-0 lead in the 15th minute. It remained that way through half and the first 20 minutes of the second half. Then the two teams combined for four goals in an 11 minute span.
Laramie tied it on a Caitlyn Cox goal after a flip throw-in from Lexi Pulley. That came in the 60th minute.
The Camels came right back with the go-ahead goal three minutes later when Kylie Hatzenbihler found the net. Her teammate Grace Roswadovski would ice it with a pair of goals in the 70th and 71st minutes of play.
Whisenant said the idea was to get a quick counter if they could.
“I just think we were just susceptible on the other end, pushing players forward, so that’s how it kind of fell apart at that point.”
Laramie concluded the 2017 season with a 13-6 record.
Whisenant felt they ended on a positive note.
“Like I’ve said, it was kind of a roller coaster season with some highs and some lows, and dealing with some adversity. I thought the kids showed a lot of character this weekend (at state tournament).
Whisenant knows it’s hard for the 10-member senior class.
“I think in their minds it’s sad, but at the same time, it’s good to place and come home with some hardware. They’ve had a good run these last couple years, so I don’t think they have anything to hang their heads on.”
Post-season accolades, such as All-State and All-Conference, will be released later this week.