The Pahrump Valley High School junior varsity girls soccer team put together a strong offensive showing Wednesday, Aug. 19, earning a 7-1 victory over Founders Academy at home in Pahrump.
With a young roster still learning to play together, the Trojans showed plenty of promise throughout the match, creating repeated scoring opportunities, pressuring the Founders defense and capitalizing on chances around the goal.
Pahrump began applying pressure early, firing several shots toward the Founders goal before Melissa Frias Esparza broke through for the first score of the afternoon. Frias Esparza attacked through the middle and found the back of the net to put the Trojans ahead 1-0.
Brooklynn McMahon continued to create opportunities from the right side. She sent a ball across the front of the goal that Pahrump was unable to finish, but shortly afterward took matters into her own hands. McMahon fired a shot from deep in the middle of the field that bounced into the goal, extending the advantage to 2-0.
The Trojans kept attacking. Kimberly Villalobos Patiño took a shot at the goal, followed almost immediately by another attempt from Frias Esparza that went just wide to the left.
Pahrump also worked to move the ball forward through its midfield and defense. Melanie Carson carried the ball toward the sideline before sending it upfield, while Frias Esparza later took a corner kick and followed the play into the field for another shot that sailed over the goal.
With just over seven minutes remaining in the first half, freshman Alexis Denning added another goal for Pahrump, giving the Trojans a 3-0 advantage.
Founders Academy answered in the second half, scoring with approximately 27 minutes remaining to cut Pahrump’s lead to 3-1, but the Trojans responded with an offensive surge that put the game firmly in their control.
McMahon helped create the next scoring opportunity when she took a shot from the right wing. The Founders goalkeeper was able to get a touch on the ball but could not fully clear it, allowing Frias Esparza to follow the play and knock the ball into the net for her second goal of the game and a 4-1 Pahrump lead.
Pahrump continued to keep the pressure on the Founders defense. Josephina Gaitan stepped up for an opportunity following a handball in the goalkeeper’s box, taking the shot and continuing after the ball for additional touches before it rolled just to the left of the goal.
McMahon then took advantage of two opportunities in a span of less than two minutes. With approximately nine minutes remaining, the Founders goalkeeper set the ball down in preparation for a kick, but the attempted clearance did not travel far. McMahon quickly closed in and sent the ball into the goal for a 5-1 lead.
A similar opportunity developed again with 7:20 remaining, and McMahon was ready. She capitalized once more, scoring her third goal of the match and completing a hat trick while pushing the Trojans’ advantage to 6-1.
Pahrump continued attacking through the closing minutes. The Trojans put additional shots on goal and briefly appeared to add another score with 4:22 remaining, but the goal was called back for offsides.
The seventh goal came soon afterward. Following a scramble in front of the Founders goal, Villalobos Patiño found the ball in the middle and finished the play, giving Pahrump its final 7-1 advantage.
While the offense produced seven goals, Pahrump’s defensive effort also limited Founders’ opportunities. Late in the second half, goalkeeper Annabelle Boothe came out from the goal to intercept an advancing ball, helping prevent another potential scoring chance.
For JV Coach Victor Vallin, the victory was another encouraging step for a roster that features a number of younger players who are still developing and learning to work together.
“We do have a young team and it’s coming together from the beginning of the summer to now,” Vallin said. “We have work to do like we told them, but there is some positives. There’s some good stuff from some of the girls.”
Vallin said this season will provide plenty of opportunities for the players to learn and improve, something he believes will benefit not only the JV squad but the PVHS girls soccer program as a whole.
“I think it’s going to be a good season for them. It’s going to be a learning season for them,” he said. “But I think we’re ready for it.”
The youth of the JV roster is largely the result of players progressing through the program. Vallin said most of last year’s JV players have moved up to varsity, leaving this year’s squad with a new group ready to develop into the next wave of Trojans.
“We’ve got a few freshmen that are really good,” Vallin said. “There’s still a lot of talent on this team to be developed, if you will. So I think it’s going to be a good program for the next couple of years.”
