Pirate Girls Soccer Slides Into Win Against Del Sol

By GANNON HANEVOLD

Moapa Valley Progress

Following the previous week’s nail-biter against Virgin Valley, the Moapa Valley High School girls’ soccer team appeared to have confidence heading into last week’s road game against the Del Sol Dragons. Last season, Moapa had taken down the Dragons 5-0 in both meetings, so they had excitement going into the game.

In the first half, both sides struggled to get the offense going. For the Pirates it wasn’t due to lack of opportunity. It seemed as if the girls just couldn’t take the shield off the net. Neither side scored, and the Pirates went into the halftime break stunned.

In the second half, though, it was a better performance for the Pirates. But it was still not quite what they’d hoped for. Moapa was able to score off an Alexis Schraft goal to make the score 1-0. But they couldn’t extend their lead for the rest of the second half.

They would end up winning 1-0, but it wasn’t viewed as anything to celebrate, as the team simply expected a more overall exciting output.
“It was disappointing as far as performance,” said head coach Lisa Cornwall. “Everyone has bad days, but if we can have a bad day and still come out with a win then that’s still good.”

Cornwall talked about the difference between the two halves as well. “In the first half (the Pirate girls) just were sloppy and just weren’t playing their game,” she said. “They felt as though they were really laying down. In the second half, they played more of their game but still couldn’t put the ball in the back of the net.”

But this disappointing performance was also a learning experience, Cornwall said. “It helped us learn a lot and figure out what we need to work on as a team,” she said. “The feeling is like we won but it didn’t feel like we actually won,”

Looking forward, the Pirates are in a prime position to remain one of the top teams in the league. Cornwall says her team is aware of the fact that the pressure is now on.
“There’s a lot on the line as far as where we’re at in the league,” Cornwall said. “Now that the pressure is on a little more, the girls are feeling it. Playing and still maintaining your level of play with pressure on you and still being able to perform and not losing your mind is important.”

As for what the team needs to fix in order to stay where they need to be, Cornwall said, “I want a little more consistency. We have all the big pieces in order, we just need to fine tune all the little things that aren’t quite adding up.”