District 6-6A is one of the most competitive districts in Texas, with its schools winning three of the past five Class 6A soccer state championships. Coppell’s last championship appearance was in 2016 in the state championship against Lake Travis, which resulted in Coppell grasping the title, at 6-1.

With the Coppell boys soccer team finishing its season at second in district, the Cowboys face Prosper in the Class 6A bi-district playoff tomorrow at Denton High School, with kickoff at 7:30 p.m. 

Tomorrow’s match will mark Coppell’s 24th consecutive playoff appearance.

“[Finishing district] in second place of one of the toughest districts in the state is something to be proud of,” Coppell Coach James Balcom said. “We had a lot of ups and downs [throughout the season]. Before the snow and ice hit we were 6-1, sitting in first, coming back we had a couple good and bad matches that cost us [the district title].”

The Cowboys (12-8-3) have had more than a week of rest since facing Flower Mound on March 16. The team has focused on getting into playoff mentality, coming together as a team and working on defensive strategies.

“Prosper can shoot from outside and we need to eliminate that,” Coppell senior defender Collin MacDonald said. “[This week] we focused on emphasizing our wide players and on communication, especially between the center-backs and midfielders, [which will be important to] pick up runners and close down shots.”

According to Coppell senior forward Brandon Gast, Prosper (10-6-3) brings strong attacking players to the table, including Prosper junior forward Gavyn Rosales. Rosales scored ten goals this season.

“We’ve seen solid players throughout district so we know what that looks like,” Balcom said. “We need to make sure we limit [Prosper’s] shots and keep them away from the goal. We’ve got strong defenders and guys that work hard [who] will be able to do that.”

The key to the match tomorrow, coming out of the gate strong.

“Keeping our mindset is everything ,” Balcom said. “We’ve had really good training sessions [leading up to the match] , if that can carry over to [tomorrow] I like our chances. We’ve come out flying at teams [in previous matches] and when we do that I truly believe we’re one of the best teams in the state. ”

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