DALLAS – Squinting into the sun and forward towards her teammate, Coppell sophomore forward Micayla Weathers saw the ball flying towards her.

And in one swift motion, Weathers caught the pass and rocketed it right into the back of the net, giving the Cowgirls their first goal of the night just 30 seconds into the match.

After that goal, along with a goal from junior forward Ryley Andrews and a second from Weathers, Coppell cruised to a 3-0 win over Garland Lakeview Centennial in the Class 6A Region II bi-district playoffs at Highlander Stadium.

“It was awesome to score two goals, especially in a playoff game,” Weathers said. “Today’s game really gave us confidence. We realized that we don’t just think we can make a run, we know we can now.”

The next step for the run that the Cowgirls will want to make is in their area round matchup against College Park this Thursday in Waco, a long road trip for just the second round of the playoffs.

Along with the long trip for their next game, last night’s win was unconventional for the Cowgirls. Throughout non-district and district play, Coppell was used to controlling possession and keeping the ball on the opposing team’s side of the field for the majority of the match. Yet Lakeview Centennial had different plans, and held onto the ball for a majority of the match.

“We didn’t possess the ball like we normally do, and that game became a one of who can succeed in the counterattack,” Coppell coach Ryan Dunlevy said. “We adapted to what we were given to us and we still found a way to win. We did a good job overall on the counterattack, finishing three goals and bouncing one off the post.”

Another aspect that the Cowgirls proved to be dominant in despite the difference in the play of the match was total shots on goal. According to Dunlevy, Coppell outshot Lakeview Centennial, 22 -7.

“It was nice because even though we didn’t control possession, we still had lots more shots on goal and controlled the pace of the game,” Dunlevy said.

Keeping on the attack was important for the Cowgirls to build up their lead and keep the pressure on the Lady Patriots, and Dunlevy helped that cause by substituting a number of players in throughout the match, including four substitutions in the first 17 minutes.

“[Substituting a lot] is something that we have built up to throughout the season to this point,” Dunlevy said. “Since some girls get injured and need a break, lots of girls have stepped up and performed well when they’ve gotten in the game. Each time we substitute someone different, it offers us a different look to the other team and it can throw them off.”

While getting fresh legs helped the team overall, it was the attack and speed of the forwards that truly won Coppell the match.
“We did great on our attack,” Weathers said. “We passed it around well, and we were patient with our shots. We didn’t force the ball as much as we usually do, we just passed it around until we got the open and put them in the back of the net.”