In the Class A Super Regionals, the Coppell boys lacrosse team beat the Mckinney boys lacrosse team 8-7.
How did that come to be? There were eight minutes remaining. Lesley Field. Coppell down two goals. The Coppell boys lacrosse team needs a good push as the McKinney boys lacrosse team looks for the dagger.
One defensive stand by the Cowboys. Then another. Six minutes to go. Junior attacker Edward Griffin, already with a goal, patiently waits and finally sees an opening and slips through, slicing the ball in the top right corner.
“He is a warrior,” Coppell coach Matt Mueller said. “The guy that was covering played tremendous defense but he is just a dog.”
6-7 now as Coppell looks to rally. 2:16 to go. 80 seconds of pure defense ends in a miss inches away from the net for McKinney and a timeout is called. Senior Duncan Ross already with a goal gains possession on the far right of the field.
Isolating himself against the McKinney defender, he spins himself off the defender and slots in a beautiful goal with 1:57 to play.
“His impact was crucial for us,” Mueller said. “Duncan is a fighter, he loves to attack and get at it and he did that today.”
With 1:27 to play, Coppell defends beautifully again, allowing for one final shot for the game.
“These guys are awesome,” Griffin said. “When the attack isn’t playing that well we got these guys to bail us out.”
Taking the ball down the field, Nate Sullivan weaves his way all the way up the field. After a pass to Cale Stricklen, Stricklen takes the ball around the players into the danger zone where he hands the ball off to Ross as Ross has a wide open look on net which he slots in for the game.
“I was thinking we have to score,” Ross said. “It could have been anyone. We talked about how important this game was and how badly we wanted it, and we came out with a win.”
“It wasn’t our best game by a long shot,” Mueller said. “But that is what playoffs are. It is about digging deep and fighting even if you think you are down and out.”
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