Gallery • 4 Photos

Karis Thomas

DALLAS – The Coppell girls soccer team walked out of Postell Stadium a win closer to the Class 6A state championship after the Cowgirls won 5-0 in their second round of area playoffs against Mesquite Horn on a chilly Tuesday night.

The Cowgirls showcased their chemistry on the field by working in unison with clever plays and great vision. And though there were the occasional mistakes here and there, the Cowgirls proved why it’s a force to be reckoned with on the field.

Coppell plays Sachse tonight at 6 p.m. in the Class 6A Region II quarterfinals at Eagle-Mustang Stadium in Richardson.

In addition to the superb passing from the midfield and offense, the Cowgirls also put up a solid defense against the Lady Jaguars. Though the Lady Jaguars created some close scoring chances, the Cowgirls’ defensive four quickly shut down the counter-attack attempts.

The Jaguars started out strong but soon fell apart as the match progressed. The Jaguars’ offense played fairly well and created some splendid plays; however, the team lagged behind when it came to defense.

The Cowgirls quickly took ahold of the match after the first goal was netted by senior midfielder Ty Runnels following a great build up from the midfield.

The match saw back-to-back attacks from the Cowgirls after the first goal as the team gained confidence. And soon, the second goal of the match came in the 26th minute from a header by sophomore defender Monste Lomeli, extending the Cowgirls lead to 2-0.

The ball remained mostly in the Cowgirls’ attacking third for the rest of the first half and saw numerous close shots at the goal. However, Coppell could not manage to net another goal before the halftime whistle blew.

The Cowgirls continued to dominate possession in the second half. The Lady Jaguars took up a noticeably more defensive stance as the match went on and successfully managed to keep out the Cowgirls for a time being. But Cowgirls soon broke through as Runnells scored her second goal in the 66th minute.

Coppell had many close chances, most of which ended in misplaced shots, but it did manage to hit the back of the net twice from forwards junior Micayla Weathers and sophomore Clara Cento in the 70th and 73rd minute respectively.

“I thought we played very well today,” Coppell coach Ryan Dunleavy said. “There are a couple little things here and there that we can clean up, but we are not going to change anything big this time of the year. Just tightening up a couple of things here and there, both offensively and defensively, is what we have to focus on. It’s been a great journey so far, the work rate and the dedication from the girls to this program is amazing year after year, and this year is no different.”