MVHS Boys Take Down Sky Pointe Eagles At Home

By GANNON HANEVOLD

Moapa Valley Progress

The Sky Pointe soccer team came into Moapa Valley on Tuesday, October 16, seeking to end the Pirates’ ambition of a playoff berth. The Eagle’s in blue and gold had plans to keep their season alive.

The Pirates started the game with many attacks and shots on goal, reminiscent of the squad that won their first preseason tournament. None of their shots landed in the opening minutes, though. A Bryan Robles shot went off of the crossbar and ricocheted down and away from the net, just mere inches from giving the Pirates the lead. The Eagles’ goalkeeper made a few other crucial saves to keep it tied at the half 0-0.

In the second half, Moapa Valley didn’t slow down on their attack. But Sky Pointe began finding a rhythm of their own as well. Both sides traded possession and Brody Morgan stepped up to make some impressive stops and keep his team tied in the score.

Finally, it would be Sebastean Gutierrez that broke the game open with a shot from the middle, assisted by Robles. The ball curved conveniently around the goalkeeper to give Moapa a 1-0 advantage.
Gutierrez missed a shot just moments later that once again hit the crossbar, this time bouncing into the arms of the Eagle goalie.

Later in the game, still just 1-0, the Pirates were awarded a penalty kick after a Sky Pointe foul. With the hot leg, the sophomore Gutierrez stepped up and capitalized on the opportunity to make it 2-0 score late in the game.

Morgan and his defense stayed strong in the final moments and the Pirates left with a crucial victory to keep their playoff hopes intact.
“It seems like when the pressure is on, they step up,” Pirate coach Randy Tobler said of his team. “They needed to have this win, and they went back to the style of play they had before. They put it all back together.”

Tobler said he was proud of his defense particularly. “Brody is a big force back there, and he made a couple great saves,” he said. “I thought our defense played extremely well. I thought Eirik (Monsvoll), Gabe (Hernandez), and Rylan (Tobler) had some great plays back there.”

Now, the team refocuses on a key regular season finale match against rival Boulder City on Wednesday, October 24. With their home crowd behind them, the Pirates will have a chance to earn their first playoff spot since 2010.

Tobler explained how he expects to prepare the team. “We’ve just been focusing on what we’ve done all year,” he said. “There is no change to our game plan because it’s working.”
“The critical thing with Boulder City is that they play a physical game and are a little mouthy,” Tobler added. “I know when we were over there that kind of got to us. We’ve talked this week about keeping our mental game in and focusing on what we do best.”

If Moapa Valley can stay focused, the Pirates have an opportunity to finish the regular season on the right note. The implications of this exciting MVHS boys soccer season continue to escalate with each week’s twists and turns.