Cowgirls close in on district championship with 2-1 win over Marcus (with video)
March 3, 2019
The Coppell’s girls soccer team played a crucial match against rivals Marcus last night at a chilly Buddy Echols Field.
The match stood tied at 1-1 in the final minutes, threatening to bring the Cowgirls’ longstanding 10 match win streak to an end. The Cowgirls started to become desperate for a winning goal, but none of their many shots made it to the back of the net.
Then, just two minutes before the match ending whistle was blown, the Cowgirls were awarded a free kick from outside the penalty box. The Coppell free kick flew into the box, deflected and landed into the unexpecting hands of the Marcus keeper.
In a moment of chaos, the keeper accidentally dropped it right into the feet of Coppell freshman midfielder Bailey Peek. She shot and scored the decisive goal, provoking the team and crowd to go wild and leaving the final score 2-1.
Now boasting an 11-0-0 record with 40 goals scored in the District 6-6A, the Cowgirls just need one more point in its remaining three matches to be guaranteed this year’s district championship. Marcus still holds its second place position at 7-3-1.
“It has been a lot of fun to be able to come and compete in one of the top districts in our state,” Coppell coach Dunlevy said. “For our girls to come out in this district and come out just one point away from a district championship is a great outcome.”
Marcus took a 1-0 lead in the 17th minute of the first half. The Lady Marauders were awarded a free kick on the 20-yard line and caught the Cowgirls off guard by taking the kick early and lobbing it to a waiting Marcus senior defender Christina Molen, who converted the pass to a goal.
As the Cowgirls attacks grew more frequent, an equalizing goal finally came as Coppell sophomore midfielder Maya Ozymy scored off a corner just seconds before halftime.
“The first goal just before the first half ended really reignited the fire, it gave us the energy we need after halftime,” said Coppell Coach Dunlevy. “The adjustments that we made in halftime were able to more effective because we were no longer worrying about tying the match.”
The Cowgirls plays at Irving on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m.
Cowboys win thriller to remain in district title contention
While the Cowgirls played Marcus at Buddy Echols Field, the Coppell boys soccer team was playing a season-defining match at Marcus.
In an exhilarating match, the Cowboys won 5-4 thanks to a goal by CHS junior midfielder Sebastian Blaas with only 16 seconds left to play. Coppell extended a 2-1 halftime lead to 4-1 with 20 minutes to play. However, Marcus made a comeback to tie the game in the final minutes before the goal by Blaas gave the Cowboys a 5-4 win.
The win draws the Cowboys closer to the District 6-6A leading Marauders as Coppell is now 7-3-1 and Marcus sits at 7-2-2.
“The match was one of our most exciting and fast-paced ones yet,” Coppell junior striker Tom Vazhekatt said. “We fought to the very end, and that drive and perseverance is really what got us this far.”
The Cowboys plays Irving in a home match on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m.
