The Pahrump Valley High School boys’ soccer team opened its postseason with a strong offensive performance and a 3–1 victory over Cristo Rey at home on Saturday, Oct. 24. Two first-half goals by TC Hone gave the Trojans an early advantage, and a late finish by Roberto Gonzalez-Gonzalez secured the regional quarterfinal win after the visiting Royals cut the lead to one in the second half.
Pahrump created opportunities throughout the match, combining productive corner kicks with crosses, shots from multiple players and continued pressure around the Cristo Rey goal. At the other end, goalkeeper Jessie Barajas-Roman made several important stops to help the Trojans protect their lead and advance to the regional semifinals.
The Trojans needed little time to get on the scoreboard. With 37:45 remaining in the opening half, Rene Gonzalez Valdez delivered a corner kick that Hone put into the net, giving Pahrump a 1–0 lead just over two minutes into the contest.
That early goal began an extended stretch of attacking opportunities for the home team. Leonel Ceniceros sent a shot wide with 36:40 remaining, then provided a corner kick that Randall Pangilinan headed toward goal. Cristo Rey’s goalkeeper caught the attempt, keeping the Trojans from immediately adding to their advantage.
Samuel “Sammy” Mendoza followed with a shot on goal that was also caught, and Hone tested the keeper again with 33:55 left in the half. The Royals continued finding ways to stop those attempts, but Pahrump kept bringing the ball back into scoring position.
Rafael Sanchez Veliz crossed to Mendoza for another opportunity with 31:42 remaining, though the shot went wide. Gonzalez-Gonzalez later sent an attempt high as the Trojans worked to turn their sustained pressure into a second goal.
Pangilinan remained involved in the attack, shooting just outside the goal with 24:13 left before halftime. A later cross reached Christopher Rivera near the goal, but Pahrump could not finish the opportunity. Pangilinan then put another shot on target with 19:34 remaining, forcing a stop by the Cristo Rey keeper.
The chances continued as Lorenzo Montaño had a shot deflected and Hone sent another attempt just wide. With 15:56 remaining in the half, the Trojans converted another corner kick. Ceniceros delivered the ball, and Hone kicked it into the net for his second goal of the afternoon, extending Pahrump’s lead to 2–0.
Hone nearly added another shortly afterward, heading a corner kick just over the goal with 14:04 remaining.
While Pahrump generated much of the early offensive activity, the Trojans also made important defensive plays as Cristo Rey looked for a response. Ceniceros headed away a Royals shot with just under 10 minutes remaining in the half. Later, Mendoza blocked a Cristo Rey kick from the sideline to interrupt another opportunity.
The Royals came close with 3:44 left when a shot struck the crossbar. Barajas-Roman stopped another attempt with 2:55 remaining, helping send the Trojans into halftime with their 2–0 lead intact.
Pahrump returned to the field looking to extend that advantage. Gonzalez-Gonzalez shot wide early in the second half, and Hone followed with an attempt that the Cristo Rey goalkeeper scooped up.
Barajas-Roman answered with stops of his own as the Royals pushed forward. He collected a shot with 35:52 remaining and scooped up another with 28:46 left, keeping Cristo Rey off the scoreboard through the opening portion of the half.
The Trojans continued creating chances between those defensive stands. Ryan Nunez Manzo put a shot on goal that was caught with 27:18 remaining, and Hone sent another attempt just wide. After a Cristo Rey foul, Hone took a free kick with 22:37 left that the keeper gathered.
The Royals broke through a minute later. Following a foul against Pahrump, Cristo Rey tipped a free kick into the net behind Barajas-Roman with 21:37 remaining, narrowing the Trojans’ lead to 2–1.
With more than half of the second period still to play, Pahrump continued attacking while working to prevent an equalizer. Nunez Manzo sent a cross through the scoring area with 16:10 remaining, but the Trojans were unable to connect for a finish.
Barajas-Roman then collected a Cristo Rey shot with 15:43 left and grabbed a Royals free kick with 14:13 remaining, preserving the one-goal advantage.
Pahrump came close to restoring its two-goal cushion when Hone struck the crossbar with 13:37 left. He put another shot on target less than a minute later, but the keeper scooped it up. Sanchez Veliz followed with an attempt that traveled over the goal.
A Cristo Rey corner kick with 5:44 remaining ended against the outside of the net, and a Pahrump free kick was deflected with approximately three and a half minutes left.
The closing minutes brought another series of Trojan opportunities. Pangilinan shot just wide of the left side, while Sanchez Veliz and Nunez Manzo each had attempts stopped by the Royals’ goalkeeper.
Gonzalez-Gonzalez finally supplied the finish that gave Pahrump some breathing room. With fewer than two minutes remaining, he kicked the ball ahead, raced after it and sent his shot into the back corner of the goal. The score extended the Trojans’ lead to 3–1 as time wound down.
Cristo Rey sent a late attempt over the goal, and Hone added one more shot that went wide before the final whistle confirmed Pahrump’s victory.
Hone’s two goals, Gonzalez-Gonzalez’s late finish and Barajas-Roman’s work in goal helped the Trojans complete a successful postseason opener. With contributions throughout the lineup, Pahrump earned another opportunity to extend its season in the regional semifinals.
