By GANNON HANEVOLD
Moapa Valley Progress
The Moapa Valley High School Girls Soccer team faced perhaps one of their most exciting tilts thus far last week when they host Pahrump Valley. The game started slow, and both sides struggled to put the ball in the net.
It would ultimately be the visiting Trojans that kicked things off in the scoring department. The Trojans’ goal would be the only one in the first half. .
In the second half, things slowed once again. Moapa Valley had a consistent attack that gave the team scoring runs but they fell short on shots and goals.
Finally, a source away from the forwards broke the ice. From her defensive position, Lainey Cornwall shot a high arcing shot over the keeper’s head to tie things up. Ecstatic, the team came back out with a new resolve.
But the visiting Trojans quickly silenced the party. A well-timed and well-executed cross set up a perfectly-centered kick for Pahrump. They took a 2-1 lead.
But the Pirates weren’t ready to roll over just yet. With just fifteen minutes on the clock, and a score needed, the Pirates ended up creating an opportunity for sophomore Madi Fairchild. Fairchild, in a rare position to score, took advantage of the opportunity. She tied things up with minutes remaining and sent the crowd back into a frenzy.
Pahrump continued their focus. Just minutes later, another Trojan goal gave them the lead with few minutes left on the clock. This time around, Moapa Valley had no more tricks up their sleeves. The final score was 3-2.
“I thought they did great,” said Head Coach Lisa Cornwall. “What happened at that game happened at the end of our season last year with the last effort. For them to do this early on, we’re going to have a good season.”
Looking at the regular season just beginning, Cornwall has a lot of exciting expectations for her squad. “My girls have set goals for themselves and they’re still the same,” she continued. “They want to beat a couple of certain teams and they want to try for state again. They think they have a shot at it and to me, they have that potential again. They’ve got a lot of fire and a lot of heart.”
Regardless of the narrow loss, the Pirates are hoping their heart can take them back to where they need to be.
