A hush falls over the crowd. One on one. A game which has proven difficult in every fashion.
Senior Caden Naef steps up, 12 yards away from advancing to the next round.
The whistle blows and the kick nets it in the bottom right of the goal.
On Friday at Buddy Echols Field, the Coppell boys soccer team defeated Prosper 3-3 in the match with a 4-2 advantage in the shootout in the Class 6A Division I bi-district playoffs. The Cowboys play Irving in the regional quarterfinals at Buddy Echols Field at 8 p.m. on Tuesday.
“The boys stepped up to the occasion and proved why they were the better team,” Coppell coach Stephen Morris said. “It’s a huge testament to their mental toughness as winning this game was tough.”
Getting the match into overtime was no easy task for the Cowboys. Coppell trailed 2-0 in the first 13 minutes of the match coming off goals from Prosper senior midfielder Lucas Tauzin and junior defender Cole Kaipus.
“It was really hard for the team to stay level headed,” junior goalkeeper Chase Anderson said. “We battle every game so when we started a little slow we knew we had to turn it around.”
Finally finding momentum around the 27th minute, Coppell started holding possession and attacking more.
Senior midfielder/forward Luis Mendez Gil stood up and nailed a penalty kick resulting from a Prosper handball in the box to give Coppell its first goal.
The equalizer came with zeros on the clock going into halftime after a scramble in the box left a tap in for junior defender Luke Brinck.
“Going into the locker room the goal was to start the game off faster, ensuring we have more control and the message was to just stay focused,” Anderson said.
Going into the second half, it was a controlled defensive effort until Prosper got a surge and played the ball into the box with Tauzin scoring yet another off the counter attack.
“Having to come back after that third goal was what showed me this team has what it takes,” Morris said.
After 10 minutes of Coppell maintaining possession, junior forward Liam Spiller in the middle of the box chipped it over the Prosper defense.
“Honestly, when I hit the ball I was just praying it went in,” Spiller said.
Neither team could score in the two 10-minute overtime periods.
“At the end of regulation we looked to the side and the players were laying down, exhausted,” Morris said. “We knew we had the game in our hands and we were ready to go.”
The Cowboys hope this is the start of a deep playoff push.
“We want state,” Spiller said. “We know we can get there so we have to keep going.”
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