Trojans girls soccer grabs Bulls by the horns

With two minutes left on the clock, the Trojans girls soccer team was in the lead by one goal against one of the top two soccer teams in their league – seconds later that changed.

The Sports Leadership and Management Bulls and Pahrump Valley soccer match took place in Henderson on Wednesday afternoon. Referees would give the girls water breaks as the girls were playing with intensity in 100-degree weather. This was the match for second place in the Nevada Interscholastic Activities Association 3A Southern class.

The Trojans goalkeeper, Madison Williams Mendenhall (12), would dive the ground to stop the ball from making it any further. She made calculated runs toward balls that were within her range and saved nine goals.

On a side pass to a Bulls forward in the last two minutes of the game a shot was made on Mendenhall’s net where the ball hit her gloves and bounced to the other side of the goal box. She was unable to move through the players to get to the ball, where Sydney Crotty (8) was attempting to kick it out. The Bulls would score a tying goal with about a minute left before the referees would blow their whistles.

“We had some unlucky calls,” Coach Amy Carlson said. “There’s nothing we can do about that, we just gotta pick it up and continue to move on.”

The match ended in a 3-3 tie and the two schools will continue to prove who had the better team.

Intensity

This was a rematch game, as the Trojans played against the Bulls at the start of the season, where they lost 8-0. A month later they nearly beat the Bulls to replace them for second place in the league.

At the start of the season the Trojans varsity team struggled to communicate, resulting in a loss in possession during their first conference game against the Bulls. Now the girls took the Bulls by the horns.

Throughout the game, both teams played with intensity as the ball would bounce up and down the field. When the Bulls would make an attempt, the Trojans would return with an attempt of their own.

The Trojans were first to score against the Bulls within 10 minutes by Natalia Vallin (6). The Bulls were scoreless on their home field in the first half, although they would make several attempts at goals.

In the first half Natalie Soto (1), one of the Trojans key players, had to sit out of the game as she suffered a knee injury. Closing out the first half, the Trojans led 1-0.

Six minutes into the second half, SLAM pushed the ball past the Trojans defense where the Bulls (7) player got up to the goal on one side of the goal and kicked it to the opposite side of the net. Mendenhall dove as far as she could toward the ball but it wasn’t enough to stop the ball from getting SLAM back in the game.

Vallin would come back in a few minutes to score on the Bulls in similar fashion at the 49-minute mark.

The Bulls would quickly push the ball up the field where three Trojans would stand in the penalty box. SLAM would kick the ball right through them and into Mendenhall’s hands.

As Pahrump Valley was returning the ball up the left side of the field, Rosie Miller (14), another key player for the Trojans, with possession of the ball was attempting to outmaneuver the Bulls player but suffered a head injury in the exchange and she would sit out the rest of the game.

Shortly after, the Trojans picked up a foul that would set them up for a shot on the goal. Three Bulls would form a line in front of Khylarann Park (5) to block her shot on the goal. Park would kick the ball over the girls’ heads into the left side of the net for a 3-1 lead.

But within a minute, SLAM brought the ball to the penalty box where they would score and began to close the gap with six minutes to spare in the second half. In a last-ditch effort from the Bulls, within two minutes they scored the goal that would tie the game at 3 points.

The girls would walk off the field frustrated and disappointed with the result.

“This doesn’t hurt us, per se,” Carlson said. “I still feel good, the girls played amazing… It just didn’t come out how we wanted.”

Good momentum

Although the girls were unhappy with the results, their coach is optimistic of the team’s performance.

“They held their own,” the coach said. “The first time we played this team it was 8-0; we just kind of fell apart.”

Meanwhile, in the rematch game, it was a night and day difference to the coach as the Trojans had the possessions during the game. She was also impressed with how the girls were able to sustain the team while two key players were out with injuries.

Currently, SLAM and the Trojans are still fighting over second place, but if the Trojans lose to Boulder City, Pahrump will likely not face off against SLAM for the rest of the season.

The Trojans’ week is not over yet as they will be playing at home against the top team in the league, Boulder City on Friday. The Eagles (7-0) are undefeated so far this year in the league, while the Trojans are now 5-1-1.

The game will be in Pahrump against Boulder City at 5:30 where fans can cheer for their favorite home team.

Contact Jimmy Romo at jromo@pvtimes.com. Follow @JimmyRomo.News on Instagram.