It’s the biggest day of the soccer season for the Laramie Lady Plainsmen, as they face a first-round, loser-out match at the 4A East Regional Tournament in Cheyenne.

Laramie plays Cheyenne South at 1 p.m. on Thursday at Okie Blanchard Stadium in Cheyenne.

It’s simple. If they win, they qualify for next week’s state tournament. If they lose, the season is over.

Laramie went 11-4 in the regular season and was 8-4 in conference matches. They are the No. 2 seed.

Cheyenne South was 2-13 overall this year and went 0-12 in league games. They are the No. 7 seed.

LHS swept the two regular-season meetings with 4-1 and 2-0 victories.

Head coach Justine Tydings says her squad is focused on only this match, as they didn’t get past this point a year ago.

It’s more about what we’re doing and what we’re doing right. Coming together as a team and playing like we have been all year. They’ve been putting together some really gritty performances all year, so if we go out there and play the game, we’re capable of playing, we hope to end out with the result that we want.”

Tydings believes South is a team that improves as the season goes along, so they’ve got to keep position to determine the pace, game speed, and how they manage the match. She is confident in how her team is playing entering the postseason.

Laramie Plainsmen

The Plainsmen won the regular-season conference title, which means they do not play a first-round match on Thursday. LHS earned a bye and an automatic bid to next week’s state tournament.

Head coach Anne Moore said there’s a lot of relief that they don’t face the pressure of a loser-out match.

“I think the boys have, all-season, found a way to win, which the year before we had close matches, didn’t quite get over the hump for a few of them, some of them we did, and so this year, I think just with the Senior class, their leadership, having gone through the experience of not making state as freshmen, I think that was a goal every year. This year with so many returners, we’re looking to win it.”

The Plainsmen were 13-2 in the regular season and went 11-1 in conference play. They will face the winner of Campbell County-Thunder Basin in a regional semifinal at 5 p.m. on Friday at Riske Field in Cheyenne.

Thunder Basin at Laramie Girls Soccer

No. 1 Thunder Basin played at No. 5 Laramie in girls' soccer on April 1, 2022.

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