PVHS soccer teams set for regional playoff openers

Pahrump Valley’s girls soccer team found its biggest offensive output of the season just as the postseason approached. The boys, meanwhile, have a familiar opponent waiting in their playoff opener.

The girls rolled past Cristo Rey St. Viator 9-1 on Monday, Oct. 19, before falling 2-0 at The Meadows in Wednesday’s regular-season finale. They will return to Meadows for their regional opener Monday.

The boys finished their regular season with a 3-1 loss at Equipo Academy on Tuesday and are listed to host Cristo Rey in the Class 3A Southern Region quarterfinals Saturday.

Girls: Meadows rematch opens regionals

Pahrump Valley’s girls soccer team will get another shot at The Meadows just five days after losing its regular-season finale to the Mustangs.

The Trojans fell 2-0 Wednesday, Oct. 21, finishing fifth in league play and setting up a return trip to Meadows for their regional opener Monday, Oct. 26. PVHS finished the regular season 6-12-3 overall and 3-6-3 in league competition.

Coach Amy Carlson said the Trojans had opportunities to change Wednesday’s outcome.

“The girls played well, controlling the ball for a majority of the game,” Carlson said. “They just couldn’t finish closing on scoring opportunities.”

The loss ended a two-game winning streak during which Pahrump Valley outscored its opponents 11-1. It also gave Meadows a sweep of the regular-season meetings, following the Mustangs’ 1-0 victory Sept. 28.

Monday’s playoff meeting gives the Trojans a third chance against an opponent that has held them scoreless twice.

PVHS entered Wednesday’s finale coming off its biggest offensive output of the season, a 9-1 victory over Cristo Rey St. Viator on Monday, Oct. 19. The Trojans led 4-1 at halftime and added five unanswered goals after the break.

The nine goals surpassed the eight Pahrump Valley scored against the Royals in September. Together, those victories gave PVHS a season sweep with a combined 17-1 margin.

That followed a 2-0 home victory over Equipo Academy on Oct. 14, an improved result against a team the Trojans had played to a scoreless draw in September.

The Equipo win ended a five-match losing streak. The last of those defeats came Oct. 12, when Somerset Academy Losee edged PVHS 3-2, reversing the score of the Trojans’ September victory and splitting the teams’ two nonleague meetings.

The late wins gave Pahrump Valley a stronger finish, but Wednesday brought back the problem Carlson has identified throughout the season: turning opportunities into goals.

Against Meadows, solving that problem now determines whether the Trojans’ season continues.

Boys: Home playoff opener awaits

The boys’ route is more definite. Pahrump Valley finished its listed regular-season schedule 6-5-1 and is scheduled to host Cristo Rey at noon Saturday.

The Trojans are listed third in the league standings, with Cristo Rey sixth. PVHS won both regular-season meetings, taking the Aug. 26 opener 6-4 at home and winning 3-1 on the road Sept. 29.

Getting there required navigating an uneven October stretch. After a 6-0 win over The Meadows on Oct. 1 and a 4-2 loss at Virgin Valley on Oct. 5, the Trojans fell 1-0 at home to Boulder City on Oct. 8. That split the season series with the Eagles, who PVHS had beaten 3-1 in September.

Pahrump Valley answered with a 1-0 road victory over Moapa Valley on Oct. 13.

Ryan Nunez Manzo supplied the goal, and goalkeeper Jessie Barajas-Roman was credited with seven saves in the shutout. The result reversed a 2-1 loss to the Pirates in their first meeting.

The Trojans then closed with Tuesday’s 3-1 loss at Equipo, following a 3-3 draw between the teams in September.

Saturday offers a chance to begin a different kind of run. A victory would advance Pahrump Valley to the Oct. 27 regional semifinals and a possible treat a few days later. The boys championship is scheduled for Halloween, Oct. 31.

The published bracket gives the top two seeds first-round byes, leaving the Trojans needing a quarterfinal victory before challenging for a place in the regional final.

Contact Bill Evans at wevans@pvtimes.com.