The ball arcs across the air as players are poised in the Little Elm box. In a swift movement, Coppell junior defender Mohamed Ouedraogo strikes the ball into the net with erupting cheer from the crowd.
Tuesday, the Coppell boys soccer team won 2-1 against Little Elm in its second District 5-6A matchup after a late game goal against the Lobos.
Midway through the first half, Coppell senior forward Luis Mendez scored a penalty, putting the Cowboys up 1-0.
In a close matchup, Coppell finished the first half with seven shots, two being shots on goal, and seven clearances. Junior goalkeeper Chase Anderson finished the half with four saves.
“The key to our defence is staying patient and understanding that our defense is good, so we have to stay compact all the game and make sure we don’t allow anything stepping to the ball,” Ouedraogo said.
The Lobos had four shots with two being shots on goal and one clearance by the end of the first 40 minutes. Little Elm junior goalkeeper Mattias Montemayor had two saves in the first half.
In the second half, Little Elm senior forward surprised the crowd with a shot bending into the Coppell net, tying the score at 1. The Lobos continued to press Coppell with runs up the wings and center, but to no avail. Anderson had seven saves in the second half, and the Cowboy defense were forced to clear the ball four times.
“For a quick moment I was a little nervous. We got in our heads a little bit,” Coppell coach Stephen Morris said. “But then we grew into the moment thinking, ‘We’ve gotta take it to this team.’”
With 10 minutes remaining, Coppell needed to retaliate. Changing its form to focus on counterattacking, Coppell started making runs through its wingers and creating goal scoring opportunities via long range throw-ins.
“I did well up top this game, running down the players on the line, getting them exhausted, and working down the fullbacks, center backs and the keeper, so they had to substitute other players for them,” senior forward Luis Mendez said.
With less than three minutes remaining, the Cowboys seized an opportunity to set up a chance in the box with a throw-in, bringing up defenders such as Ouedraogo.
As the ball descended on players in the box, Ouedraogo took control and fired off a shot to put Coppell in the lead again, making the score 2-1.
The Cowboys finished the last half with eight shots, four of which were shots on goal. The Lobos finished with eight shots, with six shots on goal.
“We got to be more efficient in front of the goal and finishing,” Morris said. “We created chances but we were not finishing.”
The Cowboys play Lewisville on Friday.
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