On Saturday morning, a handful of fans sat in bleachers still decorated for last night’s football game.
Others watched from their cars and trucks in the parking lot. All eyes were on the PCHS soccer team.
The weather was warm and sunny, a relief from the wintry conditions they’ve seen this season.
Pershing County's players confronted an obstacle, Leslie Gutierrez, Yerington’s goalie.
Several times it looked like Pershing’s shots were slam dunks but Gutierrez almost always stopped them.
“The Yerington goalie was tough to beat,” said asst. coach Eva Matuszyk.
Jillian Bridges, Pershing’s goalkeeper, shouted encouragement to her teammates while making saves left and right. However, midway through the first half, Yerington took the lead and held on tight.
The momentum shifted when Kylee Fuller slammed in a goal for Pershing, tying the score up at one.
Everybody on the field started running faster and kicking harder. In the second half, with 15 minutes on the clock, Yerington scored its second goal, settling the tie in the Lion’s favor (2-1). They appeared ready to walk off with their first win of the year.
“Ladies, we got this!” shouted Gutierrez.
But the game came down to the wire. As the clock ticked away the final seconds, Anna Jimenez got a shot on goal for the Mustangs, tying the score at two.
“The game was a nailbiter for sure,” said asst. Coach Eva Matuszyk. “At practice, (Coach) Fuller has been stressing that the girls need to follow all the shots made on the goal. I don’t think there was a single shot that a player did not follow, and it paid off in the end.”
So far, the soccer team stands at 3-1-1 with four games left to play. They’ve scored 18 goals as of press time and appear on target to achieve several more.
The girls travel to Battle Mountain on Wednesday, and Sage Ridge on Saturday They wind up the season at home against Incline (April. 7) and West Wendover (April 9).
