Girls soccer take third at Mesquite Cup

The Trojans girls soccer team took third in an eight-team tourney called the Mesquite Cup to start the season last weekend.

The team won two of three games, playing two games last Friday and one on Saturday.

Pahrump’s only loss was to the winner of the tournament, Las Vegas High.

Trojans coach Julie Carrington said she had five standouts for the tournament, Sydney Dennis, Kathy Niles, Kaitlyn Carrington, Maddy Pereira and Alyvia Briscoe.

“Syd for attacking and controlling the midfield and her offense and Kaitlyn for playing most offensive and defensive positions whenever needed,” the coach said. “And Kathy, Maddy and Alyvia for holding the defensive line.”

In game 1 against Virgin Valley, Dennis scored two goals and Grace Gundacker had one.

In game 2 against Las Vegas, Dennis had one goal and in the last game against Moapa Valley, Makenzie Lunetto had one and Halie Souza had one.

The Trojans goalkeeper, Noemi Valle Diaz, had 16 saves in the three games played.

The Trojans’ next game will be up north at the Spring Creek Tournament on Friday and Saturday in Elko.

Trojans coach Julie Carrington says the team is full of young players.

“We have one more tournament to attend in Elko this weekend, which will be the final tune-up before the real games begin,” she said. “We lost a number of last year’s starters to graduation. Due to that fact, and that the team has a new coaching staff, this should be a rebuilding year. If the team finishes with a record above .500 it will have been a successful season.”

Carrington said the top three players to watch are number 5 Sydney Dennis, number 4 Kathy Niles, and number 3 Kaitlyn Carrington.

Dennis is at midfield and is an exciting player to watch, Carrington said.

“She is a low center of gravity, which allows her to change direction quickly to avoid defenders,” the coach said. “Sydney has outstanding speed and stamina, combined with fantastic technical ability and tactical awareness. She will be an important player for the Trojans this year and is expected to score many goals.”

The coach said Niles on defense adds versatility to the team.

“It’s highly likely that Niles will spend most of this season playing as a central defender,” Carrington said. “Kathy’s defensive attributes and her ability to read the game make her the ideal captain of the defense. She is a strong tackler and her positional sense helps her be in the right place to intercept the ball and she has excellent technique and ball distribution skills.”

Kaitlyn Carrington will be playing forward and the coach said she is strong in this position.

“She has a powerful and accurate shot,” the coach said. “Kaitlyn has great speed and passing ability and is capable of creating many goal-scoring opportunities for her teammates. Her greatest attribute however, is her shooting ability - which she needs to utilize more in games. If she develops the confidence to take more shots in games then it could be the key to her and the Trojans having a successful season.”

Contact sports editor Vern Hee at vhee@pvtimes.com