By GANNON HANEVOLD
Moapa Valley Progress
The Moapa Valley High School Girls Soccer team hosted fellow contenders and longtime rivals Virgin Valley on Tuesday, Sept. 12. Pirate fans showed up, stacked the bleachers and surrounded the field expecting intense competition on both sides. Sure enough, the hard fought game came down to the wire and fans got what they were hoping for.
Early in the first half, Christie Ericksen of the Pirates took a shot that narrowly missed over the crossbar. But it set the tone for the Pirates’ aggression for the rest of the game.
Virgin Valley responded with some attacks on goal of their own, but also missed high on two attempts. This included one on a free kick from just outside the box.
But just before the end of the half, Virgin Valley finally capitalized on a goal from the right side of the net to take a 1-0 lead into halftime.
In the second half, both teams were playing at a new level of physicality and intensity, clawing back and forth to get any opportunity they could. Shots on goal from Christie Ericksen and Bailey Bunker were both off target. But Moapa continued to create opportunities offensively.
Lainey Cornwall was provided an opportunity at a free kick that appeared to cross the goal line. However, after discussion by the officials, the goal was taken away. Just moments later, Virgin Valley gave themselves a 2-0 lead with around a quarter of the game left.
Odds seemed to be not in the Pirates’ favor. Then just a minute later, Lexi Schraft of the Pirates took a shot from far away that soared over the hands of the Virgin Valley goalkeeper to cut the deficit back to 2-1.
The momentum swing was instant for Moapa. “I believe sometimes there are moments in the game where there are down times,” said MVHS head coach Lisa Cornwall. “It happens in all sports. We had that little moment but it was just a moment.”
Following Schraft’s well-needed goal, the Pirates went on the offensive. They had various scoring opportunities Late in the game, Kilee Fisher of the Pirates kicked a ball towards the goal. The ball bounced around a bit, but was eventually knocked into the back of the net by the Virgin Valley goalkeeper to tie the game up at 2-2.
Both sides fought hard for the final few minutes, but the game ended in a 2-2 draw.
“They’ve shown a lot of heart this year,” Cornwall said of her team. “That’s exactly what we need to get us through.”
While the Pirates didn’t leave with the win, they showed heart and determination and ultimately made a statement to their rivals and the rest of the division. Cornwall is confident in her team, and the players are confident in themselves moving forward as well.
“Basically, what we see is that the rest of this year will be all wins for us,” Cornwall said. “We have high expectations for ourselves. The girls are fired up.”
