Wyoming HS Soccer State Tournament Day 1 Recap 2023

The 2023 Wyoming High School Soccer State Championships started on Thursday in Green River and Rock Springs.

The first round saw a few surprises, a couple of shootouts, and some favorites advancing to the semifinals on Friday.

In 3A, the first girls' match of the tournament had Buffalo top Powell in a shootout. The Bison led 3-1 with just over 11 minutes left in the match. The Panthers rallied with two goals over the next eight minutes. After neither team scored in OT, Buffalo won the shootout, 3-1, and moved onto the semis.

In the other matches, Worland scored in the first ten minutes and got past Mountain View, 3-1. Lander shutout Douglas, 2-0, and Cody took care of Rawlins 5-0.

On the boys' side, the first two matches were a pair of 4-0 victories. Cody defeated Buffalo, and four-time defending champion Worland topped Lander. Torrington got a game-winning goal from Elijah Hatch with 1:33 left to beat the host Green River Wolves. The final 3A boys' match saw Douglas and Powell both score in just over the first five minutes of the match. A goal by Jackson Hughes with 5:05 left in the first half was the difference in a 2-1 win for the Bearcats.

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At 4A in Rock Springs, the day began with Kelly Walsh slipping past Laramie, 1-0. Defending champion Thunder Basin rallied for a 4-2 win over Natrona County. Cheyenne East went to sudden death in a shootout against Riverton and won, 5-4 on the penalty kicks. The final score was 2-1. The final match saw Jackson beat Sheridan, 3-0.

In the boys' bracket, Sheridan defeated Natrona County 3-1. Cheyenne Central opened up their offense in a 7-0 victory over Star Valley. Thunder Basin edged three-time defending champ Jackson, 2-1. Top-ranked Kelly Walsh scored twice in the last five minutes and topped Laramie, 3-1.

The consolation matches are at 9 and 11 a.m. on Friday followed by the semifinals at 2 and 4 p.m.

WyoPreps was in Green River for the first day of the state soccer tournament. We've got several photos. Enjoy!