MVHS Soccer Pulls Together After Injury To Key Player

By GANNON HANEVOLD

Moapa Valley Progress

The Moapa Valley High School Varsity Girls soccer team had its final week of build up as the season of league play approaches.
Last week, Moapa Valley took on Rancho and Cheyenne on back to back days. The two matches were reminiscent of one another on the scoreboard, but both games certainly had highs and lows.
The Pirates started the week off with a Monday afternoon match against the Rams of Rancho High School.

Less than ten minutes into the game, the entire mood of the match changed. The Rams goalkeeper collided with Moapa junior Lexi Schraft, and Schraft went down. Schraft was down for a while as her teammates anxiously hoped for the best. She eventually was transported by ambulance to the hospital in Las Vegas.

The team later had bad news confirmed that Schraft had broken bones in her lower leg. The loss will certainly have an impact on the team as Schraft was one of the top scorers in the Moapa Valley offensive attack.
“They want to make sure they play hard when they take her place, and put in an effort like Lexi would if she was out there,” said Coach Lisa Cornwall of her team.
“Sometimes when unfortunate things like that happen it makes your team come together,” Cornwall added after the game, “That’s what I saw today, and that is what I expect to see all season long.”

With the score at 0-0 at the time of the injury, the team came together. In the first half, Xochitl Frias scored a goal as she ran in from the left side of the net to get the ball past the opposing keeper.
In the second half, a penalty in the box gave Rancho a shot to tie the game up. They took that opportunity and followed through. Both sides battled in the final minutes, but ultimately the game ended in a 1-1 draw.

After the conclusion of the game, Cornwall recalled last season, when the Rams beat the Pirates 6-1. She pointed out that this game was a completely different story. She expressed how proud she was of her team for how far they had come.

A day later, the Pirates had to go into their game against Cheyenne without one of their key players. But for the second day, the team rallied and rose to the occasion.
When the clock ran out, the Desert Shields and Pirates were interlocked at a goal a piece for Moapa Valley’s second 1-1 draw in two days. The lone goal for Moapa was put in the net by sophomore Ashlyn Western.