Pirates Show Strength Despite 3-1 Loss To Cheyenne

By GANNON HANEVOLD

Moapa Valley Progress

The Moapa Valley High School Boys Soccer team officially began their season with a home match against Cheyenne on Thursday, Aug. 23. Despite leaving a number out of the win column, the team started the season with impact. Minor improvements coming soon provide optimism for the team.

With the bleachers filled to watch Pirate soccer, Moapa Valley came out to impress early. It didn’t take long for the Pirates to excite their fans. Senior and team captain Bryan Robles scored less than two minutes into the game with a goal assisted by sophomore Zach Bailey. As the Pirates claimed their 1-0 lead, confidence came along with it.

Head coach Randy Tobler said prior to the season, that he expected to focus on more shots on goal. To start the season shooting a hundred percent vastly exceeded those expectations.
As the half progressed, the Pirates held onto their lead. It wasn’t until nearly a half hour into the game that the visiting Desert Shields would tie things up.

Suddenly, the Pirates were back on their heels. With just seconds on the clock in the first half, a penalty on the Pirates was called in the box, setting up Cheyenne with a chance to take the lead just moments before the intermission. A goal for the Desert Shields changed momentum.

To start the second half, the Pirates looked to answer. Sure enough, Sebastean Gutierrez found himself on a breakaway towards the net and put the ball through the posts. But amidst the celebration, the score was waved off for an offsides penalty that went unnoticed. The Pirates were forced to reset once again.

Within just ten minutes of gametime, a two point swing took place that hung over the team’s head. Coach Tobler said, “If those plays didn’t happen, it could have changed the momentum.”
The Pirates were unable to tie things up, and the Desert Shields added another score for insurance late in the game. Ultimately, the Pirates would fall 3-1.

Tobler highlighted his expectations for the team offensively. “I think we’re focusing on getting shots,” he said. “We had twelve shots which was good but we want to be around twenty a game.”
“I think we do really well with the long ball, but we weren’t really passing in the middle,” Tobler added.

“There wasn’t much there and we’re going to focus on that next game so we’re not a single look offense.”
On the opposite side of the field, Tobler was impressed with first year goalkeeper Brody Morgan. “Brody has been a huge surprise for me,” he said. “It’s his first year playing keeper for a long time and he had a great game. He made some saves that were pretty amazing. I knew he was a good keeper, but it’s been a surprise to see just how strong he’s been.”

Coming in as a new coach, Tobler noted that he couldn’t have taken the team on his own, and looks forward to building a coaching staff for the Pirate soccer program. “I’ve been trying to add a coaching staff, and Travis Pack has been helping out everyday as well as Mike Morgan” he said. “That’s a huge asset to the boys and we’re looking to continue that down the road. They put a lot of hours into it.”