PROSPER – The clock ticks down to 45 seconds in the second period of overtime and Prosper lines up for a corner kick from the right side of the pitch. The ball drops in front of Coppell’s goal and ricochets off a defender, off the left post, then into the feet of Prosper senior defender Beya Rosales.
A swift one-touch volley by Rosales sails into the top of the net and the Cowgirls freeze in disbelief as Rosales and the rest of Prosper rush to the sideline and leave 35 for Coppell to respond. The Cowgirls were ultimately unable to score again and were eliminated from the Class 6A Region I bi-district girls soccer playoffs with a 2-1 loss at Children’s Health Stadium.
For 73 of the 100 minutes in Tuesday’s match, the Coppell girls soccer team and Prosper were tied. In one 10-second play, Prosper breaks the tie and advances.
“It’s just crushing,” Coppell senior defender Emma Fannous said. “We were so close but then the goal happened and it’s just surreal.”
Prosper scored its first goal 20 minutes into the match, senior forward Brooklyn Miller tapping a 48-yard free kick by junior midfielder Olivia Hess into the back of the net. Afterwards, 15 minutes later, the Cowgirls responded and tied the match at 1-1 after a header by sophomore forward Neerali Kapadia.
“When mistakes or goals happen, we don’t panic or freak out,” Coppell coach Craig Able said. “We stay calm and composed and don’t try to force goals, we wait for opportunities to come. We keep playing our possession-based style of soccer and the girls did a really good job of that and then created that fantastic goal.”
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