Cowgirls tie Tigers with strong offensive performance
December 16, 2020
At the start of the second half of the Cowgirls’ scrimmage against the Tigers, junior left forward Reneta Vargas scored the first goal of the season. As the ball trailed into the net, her teammates grinned and onlookers cheered.
“I felt like it was a big moment for her because it is her junior year and the first time she’s been able to play for the high school,” senior midfielder Maya Ozymy said.
The Cowgirls tied Mansfield, 1-1, on Tuesday at Buddy Echols Field. A highlight of the game was the Cowgirls’ strong offensive technique, led by Vargas, junior forward Michelle Pak and senior left forward Jojo Alonzo.
“Creating so many offensive opportunities was really a positive thing for us,” Coppell coach Ryan Dunlevy said. “We’ve known that those three up front were going to be a pretty dangerous crew working together, especially joining that with our midfield. They did a great job of collectively working as a unit to create those opportunities.”
According to Dunlevy, the three major factors the Cowgirls are looking to improve upon are their decision making under pressure, movement away from the ball and possession and decision making through the back half of their lineup.
For Ozymy, the scrimmage was unique because she played a different position. While she normally plays the attacking midfield position, last night she played the holding midfield position, and it allowed her to find factors to improve on in her game.
“Working on being comfortable there and being able to take risks is really important,” Ozymy said. “I was playing a bit conservative and safe because I didn’t want to make a mistake. The thing I need to work on all across the field is not being afraid to mess up or to make mistakes.”
Mansfield scored against Coppell 26 minutes into the second half, bringing the score to a tie. Shortly after, Alonzo was led off the field due to an injury.
“One big thing is that we need to have consistency throughout the whole game,” Ozmy said. “We did have a period in the game where our intensity and our play dropped a bit. If we can keep the intensity and drive we had in the first half, we’ll be unstoppable.”
The Cowgirls play Timber Creek on Jan. 5.
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