MVHS Boys Team Claims Rivals Cup

By GANNON HANEVOLD

Moapa Valley Progress

In the six years of its existence, the traveling trophy between the Virgin Valley and Moapa Valley boys soccer teams has never landed in Overton. But from the start of the year, the Pirates have had their focus on changing that. With their second game of the year against the Bulldogs last week, they were given the opportunity.

The team started their week however with a road game against the defending champion Sunrise Mountain. The Pirates struggled to put goals on the board and ultimately would fall for the second time this season to the athletic Miners.

Struggling through injuries to Eirik Monsvoll, Sebastean Gutierrez, and Bryan Robles, made things even more difficult for Moapa Valley. The final score would be 9-0.
“We couldn’t get any penetration forward,” said coach Randy Tobler. “Our passes in the first half weren’t connecting and we just couldn’t get it going.”

On Wednesday came the match of the season for the Pirates. In recent memory, the Bulldogs have held onto the traveling cup trophy between the two schools. This season, the script has been flipped entirely upside down.

In the first half, two goals gave the Pirates an early edge and took that confidence into the second half. Restless Virgin Valley fans and coaches helped tell the story of the second half.

The Bulldog offense continued to stall and in a matter of eight minutes, the Pirates scored three goals to silence the Mesquite home crowd.

The game ended earlier than expected, but all that mattered to Moapa fans was that it concluded with the blue and gold on top, 5-0. Two goals by Gutierrez, one from Zach Bailey, and another from captain Bryan Robles helped lead the way. A day later, the trophy arrived at Moapa Valley High School.

“We’ve never beat Virgin Valley so it was awesome to be able to go onto their home field and beat them like that,” Tobler said. “These seniors have been playing against these guys for a long time and the cup was just a goal they always had. They played well. I thought we dominated all the game to the point that I think they were frustrated with it.”

Tobler commented on the team’s strategic improvements as well, adding, “The passing was finally connecting. We struggled with it the last four or five games and they were finally connecting it. We were sending the long ball well.”

Not only was the vertical game improving for the Pirates, but they were impressing with their side to side movement too, Tobler said. “We were moving the ball left to right,” he said. “It was going to both sides and we weren’t as predictable with our play.”

One night before the game against the Bulldogs, the Pirates met for a teambuilding ceremony. The team, alongside their coach, burned a stuffed Bulldog mascot as captain Bryan Robles chanted, “Who are we?”

His team answered with a resounding, “Pirates!” With pride in the name on the front of their jersey, and an undeniable determination to leave a legacy on their program, this season’s squad is changing the culture of Pirate soccer one game at a time.