Pahrump Valley High School boys soccer

Expletives and shoves were exchanged Monday night as the Trojans boys soccer program were merely able to get off the field and back home on the bus.

Dropping a late contest to The Meadows 1-0 on the road, Mustangs senior Aidan Moses, in the 57th minute, was able to sneak a deflection goal past Trojans senior defender Cayden Cowley.

Playing arguably some of the best defense that we’ve seen from the boys this season against the third-place 3A Southern League squad, the Trojans (2-4-3, 2-4-3 3A Southern League) held the Mustangs scoreless in the first half.

Cowley only faced five shots coming his way in the box throughout the match, earning four saves on the evening.

Multiple offensive scoring opportunities for the Trojans were thwarted following shots blocked by the Mustangs’ (4-1-1, 4-1-1 3A Southern League) senior goalkeeper, Kip Ryan. Ryan’s two recorded saves were the difference from the Trojans securing the win.

During the final minutes, things got a bit heated as tensions that arose throughout the match were on full display.

Both squads had been pushing, shoving and name calling all match before Trojans junior midfielder TC Hone, with only minutes remaining, dribbled past nearly five Mustang defenders on a breakaway scoring opportunity before being sent to the ground hard on an aggressive slide tackle.

Whether personal or unintentional, Hone responded as one would, by initiating contact back with Mustangs sophomore Linsen Wang before being cheaply shoved to the ground from behind quickly once more by a member of the Mustangs.

The Trojans were less than pleased with the retaliation, as they quickly came to Hone’s defense, showing that they’ve got their teammates’ back before anything else.

Head coach Andrew Norton praised Hone’s effort, despite receiving his second yellow card of the match that disqualified him from competing in the Trojans home match-up this Wednesday against league rivals Virgin Valley.

“TC played his heart out there tonight. Unfortunately this isn’t an ideal situation, to not have him available against Virgin Valley, but we’ll adjust accordingly,” Norton said.

Virgin Valley

In their home match Wednesday night against Virgin Valley, the Trojans endured a gritty match against a previous first-place 3A Southern League squad.

Pushing a tie 1-1 for the third time in their last four matches, Norton praised the squad for their ability to stand tall.

“Would we have liked one more goal last night? Sure. But a 1-1 draw against the #1 team in the division — who has been dominant against almost everyone — is something I couldn’t be happier with,” Norton said. “It shows our boys they can go toe-to-toe with any team in this league and compete at a high level. It also shows we need to put in a bit more work on our finishing.”

Being without the help of junior midfielder TC Hone due to his disqualification in the team’s previous match-up against The Meadows, the Trojans adjusted swiftly to being without the help of the squad’s second-leading goal scorer.

Roberto Gonzalez was able to put one through the back of the net around the 17thm minute of the match.

Wednesday night’s tie shook up the 3A Southern League standings quite a bit as Virgin Valley moved to second place and Moapa Valley moved into first place.

After a daunting four-game league road trip earlier this season, the Trojans will enjoy an advantage the rest of the regular season with their three league matches being held at home.

With only five regular season matches left to play before the Trojans look to make the playoffs beginning on Oct. 25, coach Norton said his emphasis is on winning out in their three remaining league matches.

“A win or even a tie against Moapa when they come to us would put us in a great spot. The playoff position is fully within our control,” Norton said. “If our boys continue to play with the same purpose, focus, and intensity that they showed last night, I fully expect we’ll be in the playoffs.”