Pirates Soccer Sweeps White Pine Tournament

By GANNON HANEVOLD

Moapa Valley Progress

For a program that has endured a rollercoaster of highs and lows in recent seasons, the Moapa Valley High School boys soccer team has started this season on the right foot. Last week, the team ran a gauntlet of games, traveling twice into Las Vegas, and then staying overnight for a weekend tournament in White Pine. By the end, Pirate fans were feeling as optimistic about MVHS soccer as ever.

The first game of the week came on the road against Mojave. As head coach Randy Tobler said following the match, this match was one the team wished to forget. The Rattlers would leave with a 12-1 victory.
“They were a great team but that shouldn’t have been the score,” Tobler said. “We struggled with defensive positioning. They were marking spots instead of adjusting to the play. We forgot it and moved on because there wasn’t a lot of positive.”

The team used their next matchup against Adelson to do so. Now focusing on defensive positioning, and the ongoing team goal of taking as many shots as possible, the Pirates looked completely different than they had just days prior.

Moapa had the Lions reeling, firing off an incredible 42 shots. While the team would shoot just over fourteen percent on those shots, considering the volume, accuracy was the least of the team’s concern.
Good enough for six goals, the offense did their part. Meanwhilewhile the defense and goalkeeper Brody Morgan held up for a shutout. The 6-0 victory set the tone for the weekend’s tournament.

That tournament, in White Pine, was set to be an early season test for the Pirates. They started the weekend against West Wendover, shutting them out just like they had Adelson on Wednesday. Offensively, the team put on another clinic, nailing 4 goals on 20 shots. It was a strong start.

Later that day, the Pirates took on White Pine, a talented team according to Moapa’s head coach. Regardless of the tough opponent, the Pirates found their rhythm and continued rolling. This time the final score read 7-2, Pirates.

Senior captain Bryan Robles finished with a hat trick in the game, as did Sebastean Gutierrez. That would be Gutierrez’s second hat trick of the week, after knocking three in the net against Adelson. Ethynn Fulmann added the final goal.
“Bryan Robles offensively and defensively has been pretty consistent,” Tobler said. “He gets us shots, goals, and takeaways, so he’s always solid.”

Tobler praised the team as a whole, adding, “The team just clicked. They trusted each other and were passing to everyone. Our midfield worked well together and I’ve never seen them play so great. The offense was just on fire.”

On Saturday, the Pirates were back again like they had never lost a step. This time, facing Spring Creek’s JV squad.

Leading 3-0 early, the Pirates decided to match their opponent by bringing in the younger players in blue and gold as well. Regardless, Moapa kept up with ease. They went on to win 6-1 and moved on to the tournament championship against Elko.

In the finals game, it was sophomore Zach Bailey and foreign exchange student Eirik Monsvoll who stole the show, each adding two goals.
“The midfield was recovering back and Eirik has started playing sweeper and done a great job,” Tobler said.
Monsvoll led the team in takeaways for the week, totalling over sixty.

As for the younger players, the Pirates coach was pleased with their performance as well. “I put all of our younger players and our six JV players who finished the game,” Tobler said. “They got some minutes and looked good. We have a lot of potential and I see a lot of opportunities to grow the program in the future.”

The championship game ended up being a close one. Leading 1-0 early, the Pirates had a lead to protect and handled the pressure gracefully.

Late in the game, the team added two goals, one of them being a Sebastean Gutierrez header set up off of a corner kick.

It would be a 3-0 win for the Pirates, who took home the tournament title. The momentum, confidence, and overall swagger associated this team is nearly palpable in the air this season.
“We had twenty kids up there and we didn’t have any problems,” Tobler said. “They all came together and there was so much unity out of it.”