GREEN RIVER — The final day of the 4A West Regional Soccer Tournament saw mixed results for Sweetwater County squads, as the Green River Lady Wolves fell in the girls’ championship match while the Rock Springs Tigers narrowly missed out on third place on the boys’ side.
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Tigers Come Up Just Short in Third-Place Match
The Rock Springs Tigers battled Riverton Saturday in the boys’ third-place game. Despite a strong start, the Tigers fell 3-2 to the Wolverines, securing the fourth seed from the West in next week’s state tournament.
Senior Cristian Perez opened the scoring for Rock Springs, giving the Tigers a 1-0 lead. But Riverton responded with three unanswered goals to surge ahead 3-1. Junior Mark Hamilton, who recorded a hat trick in the first round against Star Valley, netted his fourth goal of the tournament to pull Rock Springs within one late in the match.
Despite a strong push in the closing minutes, the Tigers couldn’t find the equalizer as Riverton held on for the win.
Rock Springs now turns its attention to the state tournament, where it will face top-seeded Sheridan from the East in the opening round Thursday at Thunder Basin High School in Gillette at 11 a.m.
Lady Wolves Finish Runner-Up After Tough Second Half
The Green River Lady Wolves entered the 4A West Championship riding a wave of momentum but ran into a red-hot Jackson team in Saturday’s final at Wolves Stadium. After a promising start, the Lady Wolves fell 7-2 but still secured the No. 2 seed heading into state.
Jackson struck first within the opening 10 minutes, but junior Isa Vasco quickly responded for Green River in the seventh minute, scoring off an assist from freshman Brookelyn Phillips to tie the match 1-1. Jackson regained the lead before halftime and went into the break up 2-1.
The second half opened as a tightly contested battle, but Green River’s rhythm was disrupted when Vasco went down with an apparent hip injury. She attempted to play through the pain but was ultimately sidelined for the remainder of the match. With Vasco off the field, Jackson took control and scored five goals in the final 25 minutes to pull away.
Despite the loss, the Lady Wolves will carry a strong seed into next week’s 4A State Tournament in Gillette. They open state play Thursday at 9 a.m. against Thunder Basin at Campbell County High School.
