Adversity requires adaptation.
Tuesday, the Coppell boys soccer team won, 3-1, against Denton Braswell in its fifth District 5-6A match of the season on Tuesday at Buddy Echols Field.
Coppell was missing many key players, such as junior defender Mohamed Ouedraogo and junior midfielder Justice Ihezie. The Cowboys had to move up JV players, such as junior forward Liam Spiller, to fill in gaps.
“To be honest with you, we are hurting.We just haven’t thrown the same line up twice since last Friday,” Coppell coach Stephen Morris said.
Less than 10 minutes into the match, Coppell junior defender Brooks Kaiser was sent off with a red card for a foul during a corner kick.
A little over 30 minutes into the match, Braswell senior midfielder Nicolas Ybarra slammed the ball into the Coppell net, giving the Bengals a 1-0 lead.
The Bengals kept Coppell on its feet in the first 40 minutes, forcing the Cowboys to clear the ball 10 times. Braswell ended the half with two shots on goal and eight clearances.
The Cowboys ended with four shots, two of which were shots on goal by halftime and Coppell junior goalkeeper Chase Anderson had three saves.
In the beginning of the second half, Coppell senior midfielder Caden Naef scored a penalty, bringing the Cowboys up 1-1 to Braswell.
“They built out of the back, they played into the wides and they tended to then still ping balls,” Morris said.
Minutes later, Coppell senior forward Luis Mendez seized an opportunity to run up Braswell’s right wing and scored another goal, giving Coppell a 2-1 lead.
“I trusted myself, I trusted my left foot,” Mendez said. “ I was missing my right so I shot with my left”
With less than five minutes left, Spiller volleyed the ball into the Braswell goal in his first varsity appearance, bringing the score up to 3-1.
“I was excited,” Spiller said.“We needed the result today to stay up top, and it was a good team effort.”
Coppell plays Flower Mound on Friday.
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