The Pahrump Valley High School Trojans boys’ soccer team closed out their regular season on Monday, October 20, with a hard-fought 0–0 tie against Equipo Academy at home. The game served as the team’s Senior Night, honoring a dedicated group of players and managers who have been key contributors to the program.
Before kickoff, the Trojans recognized seniors Ulisses Alvarez-Castillo, Cayden Cowley, Adrian Dominguez-Leyva, Gabriel Franco, Xavier Leon, Henry Nunez Manzo, Ryan Nunez Manzo, Kohlzin Park, Favyan Sida, Mason Whitney, and James Wilson, along with managers Dyana Castro and Katelyn Switzer.
From the opening whistle, the Trojans and Equipo traded scoring opportunities in a defensive battle. Goalkeeper Cayden Cowley was tested early, making a crucial stop just two minutes in, followed by a diving save at the 20-minute mark. On the other end, Pahrump pressed the attack with shots from Berto Gonzalez-Gonzalez and Randall Pangilinan, though both narrowly missed their marks.
Cayden’s composure in the box continued to shine throughout the first half. He stopped a penalty kick at the 14-minute mark and collected multiple saves that kept Equipo off the scoreboard. The first half ended scoreless, with both teams showing grit but unable to find the net.
In the second half, the Trojans maintained their intensity. Within minutes, they took three consecutive shots on goal—each denied by Equipo’s keeper or deflected wide. Despite several promising drives, including near-misses from Ryan Nunez Manzo and multiple penalty kicks that went just over or off the post, the Trojans couldn’t convert their chances.
Defensively, Pahrump stood strong under pressure. Cowley made several diving saves, including another penalty kick stop at the 14-minute mark of the second half, while senior Henry Nunez Manzo anchored the back line with disciplined play and crucial clearances.
After the final whistle, Head Coach Andrew Norton reflected on the team’s performance and what lies ahead as they prepare for postseason play. “I’m a little irritated with the effort we put in tonight—it should have been a win, which would have secured a home plaoff game,” Norton said. “We now leave it up to other teams to see how it turns out, whether we’re home or away.”
Looking forward, Norton emphasized the importance of refining fundamentals in practice. “We’re still having trapping issues. It’s a soccer basic, and we saw it tonight—numerous times the ball went under our feet. That’s unacceptable at this level,” he said. “And we’ve got to use the width of the field more. When we pushed the ball outside, it worked—but we stopped doing it.”
He praised Cowley’s strong performance in goal and credited the team’s defensive core for holding Equipo scoreless. “Cayden had a lot of saves tonight,” Norton noted. “It was really between Cayden and Henry that kept them out of the goal. We didn’t have much going offensively, but defensively they were sound.”
The Trojans will now turn their focus to the Class 3A Southern League playoffs, with their opening-round match scheduled for Saturday at noon at home against Cristo Rey.
