Serving the Big Horn Basin for over 100 years
Serving the Big Horn Basin for over 100 years
Lady Warriors head south for Southwest Invitational tournament
WORLAND - The best of 3A and 4A boys soccer will be in Worland today and tomorrow as 16 teams battle it out for the Pinnacle Challengers Cup at Worland High School, Worland Middle School and the Worland Community Center.
The field for the Cup looks like that of a state tournament field. There will be a total of six WyoPreps ranked teams, all five of the ranked 3A teams (No. 1s Cody and Torrington, No. 3 Worland, No. 4 Riverton, No. 5 Lander) and one 4A team (No. 5 Rock Springs Tigers) looking to flex on each other. While the unranked teams, like Douglas, Newcastle, Star Valley and 4A Green River, will be out to put those rankings to the test.
The Warriors will field two teams for the Cup, the Warrior JV team will open the tournament versus Buffalo at the Worland High School east field at 1 p.m. On the opposite side of the bracket the Warrior varsity team begins their tournament journey against the Newcastle Dogies at 2:30 p.m. on the west field at Worland High School.
The Warriors path to the championship match will have plenty of challenges for the young team. First they will need to take care of business against Newcastle to move on to the quarterfinals. In the quarterfinals they could get a crack at No. 1 Torrington, provided the Trailblazers get by Star Valley. Then if the Warriors advance to the semifinals either No. 1 Cody, No. 4 Riverton and 4A No. 5 Rock Springs await them.
The Warrior JV team will have a tough trek to the championship as well having quality teams like Buffalo and either Powell or Evanston standing in their way of a semifinal berth.
Today's portion of the tournament will be played with 30-minute halves with any ties directly heading to a shootout. Saturday the tournament will revert back to the standard 40-minute halves and extra rules.
NOTES
Of the six-ranked teams competing this weekend five of them will be on the same side of the bracket. No. 3 Worland, No. 1 Torrington, No. 4 Riverton, No. 1 Cody and No. 5 Rock Springs will have to get by the other in order to make it to the championship match.
No. 1 Cody and No. 5 Rock Springs looks to be, on paper, the best matchup in the first round.
Led by Nathan Stitt, who leads the state with nine goals, No. 1 Torrington boasts the best goal differential in 3A at plus-11. They've scored 13 goals and have only allowed two goals so far this season.
By the end of the tournament No. 1 Lander will have quadrupled the number of matches played this season.
Powell's keeper John Stutzman leads all 3A keepers with 46 saves on the season. The next closest is Torrington's Tyler Ring with 24.
2017 Todd Malonek Southwest Invitational
The No. 3 Lady Warriors head south to Green River for the Todd Malonek Southwest Invitational girls soccer tournament and compete against 14 other teams from 3A and 4A for the tournament championship.
All five of the ranked 3A teams (Cody, Star Valley, Worland, Buffalo, Rawlins) will be in Green River this weekend as well as three 4A teams (Evanston, Green River, Rock Springs). Worland will be on the same side of the bracket as No. 4 Buffalo, Rock Springs, Torrington, Powell, Lander and Douglas.
The Lady Warriors take on Newcastle in the first round at 3 p.m.; if their high-powered offense continues like it did last Saturday vs. Rawlins they will advance to the quarterfinals where either Buffalo or Torrington will await for a 7:30 p.m. match.
Like the Pinnacle Challengers Cup the first day of play at the Southwest Invite will have 30 minute halves with ties going directly to a shootout. Saturday the tournament will revert back to the standard 40-minute halves and extra rules.
