Short-handed Pintos rally late, fall 2-1 to West Las Vegas in season opener

LAS VEGAS, N.M. — A hesitant first half proved too much to overcome for the Moriarty boys soccer team Tuesday night, as the Pintos fell 2-1 on the road to the West Las Vegas Dons in their season opener.

After falling behind 2-0 before halftime, Moriarty mounted a second-half push and cut the deficit when midfielder Wesley Francis capitalized on a set piece, pouncing on a loose ball following a free kick to put the Pintos on the board.

Despite the late surge, Moriarty head coach Jordon Allcorn said his team’s mindset in the opening 40 minutes put them in an early hole.

“The biggest thing was I think we came out with the mentality of playing not to lose the game instead of going out and taking the game from them,” Allcorn said. “Then they got one, they got more confident, and then they get another. We just basically let them run right through us, and nobody stepped to the ball.”

Allcorn noted that defensive hesitation, a lack of on-field communication, and struggles in winning contested possessions plagued the Pintos early.

“It really just came down to the 50-50 balls,” Allcorn said. “I thought the first half they dominated us in that facet. Second half we did a lot better.”

The Pintos entered the opener short-handed, missing two key starters. Moriarty played with a backup goalkeeper while their regular starter sat out, and their starting striker was sidelined serving a suspension carried over from a red card at the end of last season.

“I’m not making excuses, but when you’re practicing a certain way and then we had to adjust, put different guys in different positions, I think it kind of just messed up some of the cohesion that we had developed over the summer,” Allcorn said.

Moriarty will look to rebound quickly as it prepares for an upcoming matchup against Highland. Allcorn said the focus in training ahead of the next match will center on defensive fundamentals, physicality, and positioning.

“The biggest thing we’re going to focus on is some physicality… and working on lowering our hips and being in good position when we challenge, so that we don’t run by the ball,” Allcorn said. “Just a lot of fundamentals of defending in open space.”