One play short

BIG HORN - During last season's appearance in the 3A girls soccer state championship, the Worland Lady Warriors dug themselves a 4-0 hole against Jackson. The Lady Warriors then had to mount a frantic comeback that ultimately fell short as they lost 4-3.

Saturday at the Big Horn Equestrian Center in Big Horn, the Lady Warriors played in their second consecutive state championship match, this time against the Cody Fillies, who have beaten them twice this season.

They fell to the Fillies, 2-1, for the third time this season, resulting in another second-place finish. The Lady Warriors battled for all 80 minutes and ultimately came up one play short in a championship match that lived up to the billing.

"We were two very, evenly matched teams," said WHS girls soccer coach Danielle Warren.

The Fillies were the first to get on the board with a goal in the seventh minute by Jules Novakovich. The Lady Warriors kept their composure after the early goal and went back to work. After coming close on several shots Worland finally got the ball in the back of the net in the 33rd minute. Casey Wassum took a rebounded shot and tapped the ball into the net, evening the match at one-all.

After their first goal, the Lady Warriors kept pushing the attack to keep the Fillies on their heels for the remainder of the first half. Worland's aggressive attack continued into the second half with a handful of shots on goal just missing.

In the 49th minute Cody ran an effective counter-attack that Genevieve Sauers stuck in a well-placed ball from the left side of the 18 that went into the right corner of the goal to give the Fillies a 2-1 lead.

After regaining the lead the Fillies went into prevent mode as they shifted attackers back on to defense.

"Cody pulled everyone back when they went ahead. So it made it harder for us to work the ball into their 18. Our wings were having to dribble around five of them," said Warren.

From that point on the Lady Warriors had to work so hard just to get the ball into attacking position. As the minutes began to fall off the clock the Lady Warriors energy reserves were nearing depletion and the two previously hard fought matches caught up with them.

"The hardest part was the girls went through Star Valley and Buffalo. They had given so much in those two games that toward the end they were spent. I think that's why we started playing boom ball toward the end. Every girl said they had nothing left in the tank," said Warren.

In the final 10 minutes the Lady Warriors tried kicking the ball over the Filly defense and just outrunning them. They had a few shots on goal with that approach but Cody was able to properly defend the attack. And as the official signaled the match's conclusion an exhausted and disappointed Lady Warriors team walked off the field.

The sting of coming up short for the second consecutive year is expected but Warren does not want her team to think this season was a failure. They gave it their all in the championship and lost in a match that could have gone either way.

"They played so well. It wasn't one-sided or one team dominating. They were one play away and we just ran out of gas. Their journey said so much about them. I know winning the championship is what we all wanted but there's so much more to their season than this game," said Warren.