Pirates Take Down SLAM, 5-2

By GANNON HANEVOLD

Moapa Valley Progress

The Moapa Valley High School Girls Soccer team step out on their home field and play for their fans. And what a strong first game it was. At least it ended up that way.

The Pirates went up against SLAM Academy from Las Vegas on Tuesday, September 4. Early on in the game both sides had plenty of opportunities to score at the net. But neither side put the ball in the goal.
The Pirates in particular struggled with finishing. They would go on to finish the game making 20% of their shots on goal, while the Bulls made 40% of their attempts.

It would be the visiting SLAM Academy that kicked off the scoring, raking a 1-0 lead early on.
Just minutes later, the Pirates would be on the attack. They had what looked to be a promising breakaway at the goalkeeper. But despite no less than five shots in less than forty seconds, the Pirates came away scoreless on the advance.

Their efforts finally proved to be worthwhile when, a few minutes after, Italia Bracamontes scored off of an Ashlyn Western assist. The two seniors connected to make it 1-1 and ease the tension on the field and in the bleachers. That score would carry into the halftime.

Then the Pirates came out looking in control. Whether it be a new net or a halftime speech by head coach Lisa Cornwall that sparked the team, Moapa’s offense kicked into a new gear.
Ashlyn Western started the run off with a goal on a breakaway. Then just moments later, Western would scored once more, this time off an assist by Kaitlyn Hopkins.

Western’s consecutive goals gave the Pirates momentum and confidence. But it would not translate into points for many minutes. After a short lull in the action, senior Peyton Schraft brought the excitement right back. She would shoot a long distance shot from the center that sailed into the top of the net.
Schraft and Hopkins ran down the field celebrating as their team led 4-1 suddenly.

Things would continue to get better. Kaycee Marquez added another goal to the Pirate total.
Four different seniors scored five goals in the match, an accurate demonstration of Pirate leadership being at the forefront of Moapa squad. The final score would be 5-2 as the Bulls added a goal in the final minutes.

Western attributed the offensive burst to spreading the ball out. “I think we’re doing well at working up the sides and have some good passing going on,” she said.

Lainey Cornwall and Sierra Staheli, both of whom made critical defensive plays in the match, commented on the performance on the other side of the pitch.
“We were a lot better with our positioning and knowing where to be,” Lainey Cornwall said. “We communicated a lot more so everyone understood where to be.”
“We’re really aggressive and we work a lot on defensive positioning so we know where to be and if we can’t get there someone will cover for us,” added Staheli.

Staheli also highlighted the attitude on the defensive side. “We never give up and if someone gets past, we’re going to give our all to catch back up with them,” she said.

Considering this was the team’s first taste of action in front of a home field audience, excitement was in the air. Junior Kaitlyn Hopkins explained that feeling. “We had a lot of younger girls that had their first varsity home game,” she said. “They all stepped up to the plate. This season we had three weeks before our first home game, so we were all ready to be on the field and start.”

Head coach Lisa Cornwall was satisfied with the performance on the field. “The girls did really well and pulled things together that we have been working on,” she said. “There’s still a lot of work to do, but the girls are up for the challenge.”

Western said that the team’s goal is still to make playoffs. “I’m pretty sure we’re all confident we can get there,” she said.