Cowgirls claim eighth consecutive district win on Senior Night

Coppell+freshman+midfielder+Tabitha+Sine+drives+downfield+on+Monday+against+Plano+East.+The+Cowgirls+beat+the+Panthers%2C+5-1%2C+on+Senior+Night.+

Photo courtesy Tiffany Duran

Coppell freshman midfielder Tabitha Sine drives downfield on Monday against Plano East. The Cowgirls beat the Panthers, 5-1, on Senior Night.

Anjali Krishna, Executive Editor-in-Chief

Within the first 30 seconds of its Senior Night, Coppell senior midfielder MacKenzie Shannon scored a put away the first goal of the match. 

This would be the first four senior goals the Coppell girls soccer team scored Monday night to beat Plano East, 5-1.

“It meant a lot to me to have my first varsity goal be on Senior Night with all my friends and teammates there,” Shannon said. “I’ve been with this program for four years and it felt great to start the game off with a goal for the last time on our home field.”

Though the Cowgirls led from end to end, and shot 17 attempts, they did not come in at full strength, as they struggled with possession throughout the first half. 

“It wasn’t the best game we’ve played,” Coppell sophomore midfielder Ella Spiller said. “We were kind of slow in the first half but it ended up being good. We came into the game a little soft, thinking let’s just get this win because of our last win. But we have two big games coming up so we’re more focused on those.”

At halftime, Coppell coach Fleur Benetar-Whitten told the Cowgirls to pick it up, and they put up three goals in the second half to prove they were listening. Coppell remains first in District 6-6A rankings after the win.

“We didn’t get off to the start we wanted to but we’ve gotten better each game which has given us a lot of confidence,” Shannon said. “We have two more big games that will determine our standings but if we keep doing what we’ve been doing it should go well for us.”

Defeating Plano East for a second time, Coppell celebrated its seniors in its final home match.

“It was a very emotional time,” Spiller said. “They’re our seniors, our leaders. It’s really sad that it’s the last game we have at home and it’s a reminder that we only have a few games left with them. We were like ‘let’s win this game and do something good for them because they do so much for us. This win, this game was to thank them for everything they’ve done for us.”

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