ROCK SPRINGS – Things are heating up on high school soccer fields around the state as teams are getting ready for the final stretch push. Both Rock Springs soccer squads look to continue to march forward after a strong weekend.

For the Lady Tigers, they did not have to go far this past weekend as they competed in the Southwest Invitational in Green River. The Lady Tigers entered the tournament 4-2 overall including a shutout win last time out against Evanston. Rock Springs got off to a slow start as they were beat by Powell, 2-0, but responded to knock off a good Lady Braves team, 2-0. Ali Lange and McKayla Bernatis scored the two goals.

The win put the ladies in the gold bracket where the faced off against the third-ranked team in 3A Jackson. The Lady Broncs scored first but Kristin McCrann evened in going into half. With only three minutes left, Jackson scored the game winner as the Lady Tigers moved into the third-place game.

With third place on the line, the Lady Tigers faced Worland. Madisyn Marie Cantrell set the tone early as she scored twice in the first half. Worland scored right before half as Rock Springs led 2-1. Catrell struck again in the second for the hat trick to put Rock Springs up two. Worland answered fairly quickly but the Rock Springs defense held them off the board for the final 30 minutes to take the third.

“It is definitely difficult to play four games in two days and especially with the first two in such cold weather. We knew they would all be tough games, but the girls did what they needed to, stepped up, and played some great soccer,” Head Coach Tamika Davis said. “ In years past we’ve really struggled with finding the back of the net and we had some very pretty goals this weekend. With each game we play we keep learning and making adjustments. The players have done a great job of implementing what we are learning in practice into the games. And they have heart, something a coach can’t teach, I value that aspect everytime I watch them step onto the field.”

This weekend, the Casper squads come to town with Kelly Walsh up first on Friday at 5 p.m. The Lady Trojans enter with a record of 2-5 overall but both wins are in conference play. Brooke Johnson leads Kelly Walsh in scoring with six goals in the first four weeks this season.

The Lady Trojans are a team which relies on their defense to get wins but did have two offensive outburst in their conference wins. They took down Evanston 5-1 and followed it with a 6-1 win over Riverton. Overall, Kelly Walsh has scored 13 goals on the year with 11 coming in those two games. They have allowed 11 goals so far which includes games with Cheyenne East, Cheyenne Central and Natrona.

For the Lady Tigers, Cantrell leads the team in scoring over the first four weeks with eight while McCrann is right behind with seven. Offensively, Rock Springs has been solid with 23 goals as a team thus far but it has been the defense which has really stood out. The most goals the Lady Tigers have allowed in a game has been three which came against Green River. Overall, the ladies have only allowed 10 goals which includes four shutouts.

Rock Springs Tigers

The Tigers are also coming off an impressive weekend as they found the one thing which they have been missing so far, their offense. During the Pinnacle Cup in Worland last weekend, Rock Springs won four of five games with the fifth being a tie against Worland. The only thing the Tigers lost was a coin toss which moved them into the Silver Bracket. The team brought home the Silver Bracket trophy in the end.

For the first few weeks of the season, it was the Tigers defense which has kept them alive. After scoring three goals in the first match of the season, Rock Springs only managed two goals over the next couple of weeks. That is until the Pinnacle Cup where the offense exploded for 14 goals.

The Tigers open with Kelly Walsh on Friday followed by Natrona on Saturday. The Trojans enter with a 3-4 record overall including a 2-1 record in conference. The Trojans are coming off a loss to rival Natrona on Tuesday. KW has been having issues offensively as well, only scoring seven goals on the season. Defensively, they have only allowed 13.

With their offense on the up-swing, the Tigers will look to continue off the weekend momentum. Defensively, the Tigers have another shot to shine against the Trojans. They have only allowed 14 goals this season with six coming in the game against Green River.