By Marcus Krum
Staff Writer
@marcuskrum

IRVING – As the clock on at Irving Schools Stadium wound down, the sense of urgency was high among the Cowboys soccer players, scrambling around for a final second goal. However, it was to no avail, as Coppell’s season and playoff run ended with a 3-2 loss to Grand Prairie in the Class 6A Region I quarterfinals.

The match started off wild, with senior forward Stephen Tower scoring in the first five minutes, giving the Cowboys an early 1-0 lead. Only a few minutes later, the Gophers received a penalty kick and were able to convert, tying the game at 1-1.

In the 34th minute, a throw in from junior forward Tanner Traw made it through the hands of the keeper and senior midfielder Tommie Miller finished it off, regaining a Coppell 2-1 lead. Just a minute later, the Cowboys appeared to score again, the ball was knocked out of the keepers hands, so the goal was disallowed by the referee, and the score remained the same for Coppell going into halftime.

A mere five minutes into the second half, Grand Prairie scored the equalizer, tying the game at 2. In the 57th minute, with tempers flaring on both teams, Traw appeared to score another one for Coppell, but a controversial offside call disallowed the goal.

“We’ve worked on it all year. [Coppell coach Chad Rakestraw] has emphasized the controllables all year,” Tower said. “It’s not about the referees, it’s not about the crowd, it’s not about the other team, it’s about what we do. For us to score a goal like that and get it called back, it’s not in our control. What we can do is keep our head and move on.”

Just one minute after, Grand Prairie came down the field on the attack and, after getting a free kick, were able to score to take a 3-2 lead over the Cowboys.

In the remaining 22 minutes of the game, although they remained patient, yet stuck with their sense of urgency, were unable to score, leaving the Gophers with the 3-2 win.

“I told the guys, sometimes it just doesn’t go your way,” Rakestraw said. “We got the two goals called back, so sometimes you just have to be able to roll with what happens.”

Because of the high hopes for this team in the playoffs this season, the letdown of this loss is greatly amplified, especially with the seniors ending their high school career. 

“It’s hard. It’s a real shame that a good team like this and group of guys as strong and as passionate as we are has to be done in the third round, it’s never easy,” Tower said. “But one thing I really like about this program, that for us we know it’s not the end of our time. It’s our last game together, but we’re going to stay in touch, we’re a family. We’re moving on to bigger and better things for ourselves, and despite our loss, we know that there’s a lot to look forward to.” 

Although this loss was heartbreaking, there is much to be taken from the playoff experience and the season as a whole. The Cowboys finished boasting a 19-3-1 record, a regular season district championship, and a legacy that is sure to build in the years to come.

“It’s going to drive [the underclassman] I hope,” Rakestraw said. “You let that pain really sink in and when it comes next year and things start getting hard in the off season, you think about that, and you think about how you don’t want this feeling again.

“We’ve got a big group of guys that were juniors and sophomores in this group. We’re sad to lose the seniors that we have and the leadership in this group, and the type of players and people they were, but excellence doesn’t graduate.”