Wranglers secure first win of season

Mike Moore
Posted 4/14/17

Members of the Pinedale High School varsity boys soccer team got a lot of valuable game experience on the field over the weekend as they played three games over the course of two days during the Pinnacle Challengers Cup Tournament in Worland last week. Th

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Wranglers secure first win of season

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WORLAND – Members of the Pinedale High School varsity boys soccer team got a lot of valuable game experience on the field over the weekend as they played three games over the course of two days during the Pinnacle Challengers Cup Tournament in Worland last week. The team then traveled to Riverton on Tuesday this week.

Last week’s tournament also coincided with Spring Break for Pinedale, meaning the team was down a few athletes. This allowed for some of the younger team members to get out on the field and for the coach to try people in new positions.

Pinedale kicked off the full schedule of games with a matchup against a talented Lander Tigers program early in the day last Friday. Pinedale was faced with a difficult task, as it took on the No. 5 team in 3A (currently voted to No. 3 in 3A as of April 12). The game was a rough start to the tournament, as the Wranglers were handed a 9-0 loss.

Things could only get better for the Wranglers as they took to the field later that afternoon to play the Douglas Bearcats. According to head coach JD Dudrey, the Wranglers had a much stronger start this time around.

“We tried a new formation this game that really helped us with our possession and attack,” he said.

The strong effort out on the field allowed the Wranglers to shoot out to a 3-1 advantage in the first half. Sophomore Senddey Gutierrez put up two goals while sophomore Sammy White put up another goal for the Wranglers.

It was more of the same in the second half, with Pinedale keeping possession of the ball for the majority of regulation. Douglas was able to put up a goal, but it wasn’t enough, as the Wranglers pulled away with a 3-2 victory.

“We were very pleased with the way the boys played,” Dudrey said. “Some younger kids got a lot of time and we saw them improve greatly.”

One of the big takeaways for the head coach in the victory was that his team was able to relax, causing them to slow down and play stronger soccer. He was also pleased to see an increase in communication out on the field.

“We communicated great this game and any time the kids are talking we have more success,” he noted.

The coach was also pleased with the effort of junior Levi Douglas, who had a great game playing in central midfield, he noted.

With a win under their belt, Pinedale entered Saturday’s matchup against the Powell Panthers fired up and ready to play.

“We came out strong again and the game was pretty evenly matched,” Dudrey said.

The close game featured plenty of scoring opportunities in the opening half, but Powell was the only team able to capitalize, pulling ahead with a 1-0 advantage halfway through the contest.

Pinedale continued to fight for a goal throughout the second half, but just couldn’t pull out a goal when they needed to. At the end of regulation, Powell walked away with a 1-0 victory.

“We played a good second half as well,” the coach said. “We really looked like the better team throughout the game, but we just couldn’t put the ball in the back of the net.”

The head coach said Pinedale was able to win the battle in the middle of the field the entire game, which was a big positive to see as his team continues to improve and make strides early in the season.

With part of the team away on Spring Break, Dudrey was able to try some athletes in different positions, which saw a good deal of success, he said. He noted the effort from

Following the tournament weekend, Pinedale hit the road on Tuesday this week for a matchup with the No. 5 Riverton Wolverines.

“Riverton is a good team with a lot of good athletes,” Dudrey said.

The coach said it was going to take a strong showing from his athletes to down the Wolverines on their home turf.

The game was another closely contested matchup for the Wranglers, as both teams went scoreless for the first 73 minutes of the game. The score remained 0-0 until Riverton picked up their first goal with seven minutes remaining.

“We played really well and the kids fought hard the entire game,” Dudrey said. “When they scored the first goal, the wind just came out of the sails and we gave up two more goals quickly after that.”

The two additional scores gave the Wolverines a 3-0 victory following the late-game push.

Coming up, the Wranglers travel to Rawlins this afternoon for a game at 5 p.m., and remain on the road early next week for a game against Star Valley on Tuesday, April 14, also at 5 p.m.