MVHS Girls Gain Two More Victories

By GANNON HANEVOLD

Moapa Valley Progress

The Moapa Valley High School Girls Soccer team has seen one of their most impressive seasons in recent history. Last week, games against Boulder City and Division 3A newcomer Sky Pointe proved that once again.

The first game of the week came at home for the Pirates against the rival Eagles. Just a few minutes into the game, Moapa got off to the start they had wanted. Kilee Fisher delivered a goal on a free kick for the Pirates to give them a 1-0 lead. Lainey Cornwall would have another shot at scoring on a free kick later in the half, but the ball went just over the crossbar. The score would remain 1-0 at the half.

In the second half, the Pirates came out strong again. Christie Eriksen weaved through defenders in the early stages of the half and found herself in scoring position. She sent the ball into the right corner of the net for Moapa’s second goal of the game.

With just 15 minutes remaining, the Eagles were able to cut the lead in half, thanks to a penalty shot opportunity for Madison Manns. With the score 2-1, the Pirates had to hold on for just a little longer to leave with the victory. They would do so.
“That’s always good when you can handle the pressure that’s coming on and keep yourself on top,” said Moapa Valley head coach Lisa Cornwall. “They got the win and played the way I asked them to play. They controlled the middle and the other team couldn’t really do anything for much of the game.”

The second game of the week came at Sky Pointe. Coach Cornwall was comfortable with referring to this opponent as a “wild card” and something of an unknown. Though the Pirates were unsure of what to expect, the team did a great job of handling the new circumstances.

The Pirates would score three goals in the first half, giving a comfortable lead. But thanks to two goals from Isabella Robins of Sky Pointe, the final score would be a bit closer.
Moapa Valley would finish with a 4-2 win, in what would be a somewhat bizarre game. Scoring goals for the Pirates was Kilee Fisher, Ashlyn Western, and two from Christie Eriksen.

Perhaps one of the most significant storylines in the game was the odd length of the Eagles’ field.
“The field there is so extremely short and their keeper was really good,” Cornwall said. “The moment she got it, the ball was already there. It made it a way quicker game. At first, the girls had to make a couple of adjustments.”

One of those adjustments was kicking the ball a shorter distance from the defensive end. Once the Pirates figured it out, defender Lainey Cornwall was able to get an assist to one of Eriksen’s goals.
“They saw that the long balls aren’t working so they made the adjustment and switched,”: Coach Cornwall said. “We scored a couple of goals that way.”

The Pirates sit in second place in their division right now, with a 4-1-1 record. But they have some tough games ahead that could vault them into first. The end of the season should be an exciting race for Moapa Valley.