LARAMIE — The Laramie High girls soccer team used some second-half adjustments to earn a 3-1 win over Campbell County on Friday at Deti Stadium.
Scoring opportunities were there for both teams in the first half, but both sides struggled to connect on passes through the midfield and into the box. LHS finished the first half with four shots on goal but couldn’t put one through.
“We started slow because we were running a new system,” LHS coach Kim Whisenant said. “Once we got the hang of it, we started to play a lot better. The kids showed a lot of character today.”
The Camels (2-1 overall) got their first shot on goal from just outside the box by sophomore Brooklyn Noble with 33 minutes, 20 seconds left in the first half. The Plainsmen’s backline did its job by stonewalling Campbell County for the bulk of the first period.
“The turf played a little hard today,” sophomore Ava Wallhead said. “We settled into the feel of it in the second half and played better. Campbell definitely came to play us hard, and we had to defend our home field.”
The Camels didn’t get another shot off until 10:30 left in the first half, but they threatened over the closing moments with two more shots on goal. The opportunities didn’t come to fruition, with the teams going into the halftime break tied at 0.
“We needed to do a better job of getting to the ball first,” Whisenant said. “We did a better job of that in the second half, but that has to be our thing.”
Campbell County’s momentum carried over into the the early moments of the second half, as Noble drew first blood after heading a corner from senior Payton Whitt with just under 28 minutes left to play. The Camels’ lead didn’t last long,as Whitt was called for a penalty in the box on LHS senior Chloe Whisenant.
Senior McKenna Barham snuck the penalty kick past Campbell County goalie Onna Castellanos to tie the game 1-1.
“Our communication was really good today (on the field),” Ava Wallhead said. “Building that into the second half, you could tell we were fighting hard for each other.”
LHS’ offensive pressure continued to mount, and seven minutes after the penalty kick, Ava Wallhead knocked through a rebound to give the Plainsmen their first lead of the night.
“The way we played in the second half showed the grit and passion that everyone came to play with,” Ava Wallhead said.
Campbell County failed to convert on its offensive opportunities down the stretch. Laramie took advantage by extending its lead to 3-1 with a goal from senior Mercedes Garcia off an assist from Bailey Setright on a free kick.
The Plainsmen’s defense was able to stave off any comeback attempt in the final minutes to seal the two-goal win. Barham finished with four saves in net for Laramie.
“We want to play possession style,” Kim Whisenant said. “We want to move the ball, but we need to get a little fitter first. We still need to find out who we are within this system. Things will get cleaner as we get further along.”
Laramie (1-2) will return to action against Sheridan at noon Saturday at Deti Stadium.
LARAMIE 3, CAMPBELL COUNTY 1
Halftime: LHS 0, CC 0.
Goals: CC, Noble (Whitt) 57, LHS, Barham (Unassisted), 58. LHS A. Wallhead (Unassisted) 66, LHS, Garcia (Setright) 87.
Shots: LHS 10, CC 9. Shots on goal: LHS 6, CC 7. Saves: LHS 4 (Barham); CC 5 (Castellanos).
Corner kicks: LHS 2, CC 4. Offsides: LHS 2, CC 0. Fouls: LHS 7, CC 3.
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Austin Edmonds covers Laramie High, University of Wyoming and community athletics for WyoSports. He can be reached at aedmonds@wyosports.net. Follow him on X at @_austinedmonds.
