ALLEN – Twelve minutes remain on the clock as the tension grows between the Coppell boys soccer team and Lake Highlands as the match is tied.
Coppell sophomore defender Tanadorn von Merveldt and Lake Highlands senior midfielder Ivan Martinez race for possession, with Martinez overpowering and scoring the match-winning goal.
On Tuesday, the Wildcats defeated the Cowboys, 2-1, at Allen Eagle Stadium in the Class 6A Region I quarterfinals.
“We played well defensively,” Coppell senior goalkeeper Chase Anderson said. “It was a mental error and we did not finish enough chances. It was their day.”
With the first half ending tied, 1-1, Coppell continued to generate opportunities to score but struggled to convert into goals.
“It is hard to say we faltered because we had moments we created in the first half,” Coppell coach Stephen Morris said. “It is just a brutal game where the other team has moments too.”
Coppell did have its moments. Thirty seconds into the first half, junior midfielder Zianni Johnson scored to give the Cowboys an early advantage.
“[Zianni] drives it down the field and just strikes it pure, strikes it well,” Morris said. “It sets the tone at the beginning and feels pretty good.”
However, the Wildcats repeatedly challenged the Cowboys’ defense.
“Our plan was to get the ball to the forwards and have a combination of shooting the ball and testing the goalkeeper,” Coppell senior defender Luke Brinck said. “Most of it did not go our way. The hardest part was that they were constantly playing long balls.”
With the Wildcats advancing to play the Odessa Bronchos in the regional semifinals, the Cowboys’ season concludes.
“This is a good group of guys,” Morris said. “They are pretty torn up at the moment but I hope the ones coming back next year remember this and what it feels like so we embrace the grind for next year.”
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