It has been 19 games since the Trojans boys soccer team won a league game and on Thursday of last week the Trojans ended that nasty streak against Cheyenne in a 1-0 win. Paul Holmes scored the only goal for Pahrump in the first half and the Trojans held on for the win.
Last year the Trojans were 0-12 in a tough league. Pahrump (3-6-3 overall, 1-3-0 Sunset League) figured that since four of the teams from last year left the league for Class 4A, that winning a league game was going to be easier. That hasn’t been the case as the Trojans dropped the first three league games.
Trojans coach Wes Icard was candid in his assessment of his team after the Cheyenne (2-4-1, 0-4) victory.
“We have had issues with players being eligible and the team has a lot of new faces,” Icard said. “With eligibility problems this means you have younger players getting their first touches at the varsity level.”
Icard admits his team has had a problem scoring.
“We are getting a lot more shots now on goal,” the coach said. “It’s an improvement. Against Cheyenne the team probably should have scored five or six goals instead of one. Things are getting better on defense and offense. Look at how we held Mojave to just two points when last year they beat us 5-6. Yes, we need to work on control and less touches on offense. Our younger players getting touches now need to play at the next level.”
The Trojans need a bit more speed the coach said.
“We need another fast guy up front to spread out the opposing defenses and we should be fine,” Icard said. “I expect more guys to be eligible to play in the upcoming games.”
The win over Cheyenne has boosted morale for the Trojans players and it couldn’t have come at a better time with Western (8-4-1, 3-1-0), one of the top teams in the Sunset League hosting the Trojans today at 3 p.m.
Nick Harris, who got the credit for the shutout had about five to six saves against the Desert Shields. He had one spectacular save during the game.
“I had to go at it with just my feet in the second half,” he said. “It was the only way I could get to it.”
Harris said the team is coming around.
“We are ready to fight for the wins and keep pushing on,” he said. “I think the offense is improving. We get a lot of shots but they’re not landing.”
He agrees the win came at the right time for his team.
“It was a relief to win,” Harris said. “We broke a streak and it felt good to end it.”
Harris feels his team can hold Western today.
Contact sports editor Vern Hee at vhee@pvtimes.com