Cox and Moore Lead Laramie Soccer to Sweep of Central

Two goals from Savannah Cox and Blake Moore aided the Laramie High School soccer teams to a sweep of rival Cheyenne Central at home Thursday.

Laramie Lady Plainsmen

The fourth-ranked Laramie Lady Plainsmen (8-3-2, 5-3-2) got a goal from the senior, Cox, in each half for a 2-0 victory over the Lady Indians.

In the eighth minute of play, Cox took a pass from sophomore Paige Trent and put LHS in front 1-0. The match stayed that way until senior Ariel Romero found an open Cox in the 74th minute for an insurance goal.

Cox said,

"We, as a team, knew that we needed to win today. We just wanted to come out here and play our hardest, and that's what we did. It feels awesome."

The victory allowed the Lady Plainsmen to clinch the number three seed going into the regional tournament next week in Cheyenne.

Head coach Kim Whisenant wasn't sure at the time whether they were in a good spot, saying, "I hope so. We'll kind of see how things shake out the rest of this week. The win and the tie (Tuesday vs. East) this week definitely helps our cause."

The Laramie ladies will match against Cheyenne South next Thursday in Cheyenne with a berth to the 4A State Tournament on the line.

Laramie Plainsmen

The Laramie Plainsmen (7-5-1, 4-5-1) capped their regular season with a 3-1 upset of fourth-ranked Cheyenne Central. It also halted the Indians five-match win streak.

Moore scored twice in the first half. He was assisted both times by sophomore Alexis Eleuterio. Their first collaboration was in the 20th minute. The second came in the 25th minute.

Laramie also took advantage of an own goal by Central in the 42nd minute for a 3-0 lead. The Indians tallied late for the final margin.

We asked senior goalkeeper Kolton Rap as the difference was for the Plainsmen Thursday.

Rap said, "I think just energy. Everybody, I mean, before, kind of just was dead, and today just brought the energy, and we all played together well."

Even head coach Andy Pannell was happy with the response of his team after he had challenged them following Tuesday's loss to Cheyenne East.

"I thought the energy level from every single guy on the field was exemplary... I could tell in warm-ups that they were just a different bunch, and that was exciting because we really hadn't seen that level of energy all year long."

The Laramie boys will be the fifth seed and face Cheyenne East in a loser out regional tournament game next Thursday in Cheyenne.