On Saturday morning in Lovelock, two rival schools left it all out on the soccer field. The match pitted Pershing County and Battle Mountain against each other in an eighty-minute firefight.
Ultimately, their speed and endurance proved equal. The game ended in a 4-4 tie.
Matt Fuller coaches the Lady Mustangs with help from Eva Matuszyk.
The coach praised and encouraged the girls at the half.
“You guys are playing an awesome game,” he said. “But at no time can you sit back and say, ‘we got this.’”
He counseled the team to fight even harder the second half. And they did.
Cold and flu season absented a few of Pershing County’s key players, including sophomore goalie Cassidy Fuller.
“We needed some girls to step up and play unfamiliar positions,” said Matuszyk.
With only 20 minutes of training before game time, Haylie Leavitt, also a sophomore, played goalie on Saturday.
“It was very last minute,” said Leavitt. “But it was fun. If the coaches ask me to do it again, I won’t complain.”
“Haylie did amazing,” said Matuszyk. “She got off her line, attacked the ball and only let in hard shots. In the end, she had over ten saved.”
According to senior co-captain Loryn Hunt, “Our team played well as a whole.”
McKenna Hertz scored a goal off a free kick. Baylee Lovett scored on a cross from Kyle’ Tupa. Lupe Parades followed up on a corner kick from Karyme Hernandez. And Hernandez added a goal on an assist from Ashlyn Lusby.
On Tuesday, Oct. 3, Pershing County traveled to Dayton to challenge the Lady Dust Devils. Results were not available at press time.
On Friday, Pershing County travels to West Wendover to challenge the Lady Wolverines. The Lady Mustangs are back on the road to Ely to face the White Pine Bobcats on Saturday.
But the two rival schools are not done with their competition. On Saturday, Oct. 14, Battle Mountain and Pershing meet on the Lady Longhorn’s home field.
