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Coppell senior midfielder Sebastian Blaas challenges Rockwall-Heath junior forward William McLesky yesterday at Buddy Echols Field. The Cowboys defeated the Hawks, 2-0, in their final preseason match.

The Coppell boys met Rockwall-Heath on the Buddy Echols Field’s turf last night and walked off with a 2-0 victory.

Both teams started with fast-paced, aggressive attacking plays. The match saw nine shots in just the first 10 minutes; however, none touched the back of the net

The first goal came in the 13th minute, thanks to a great shot by Coppell senior Tom Vazhekatt off a well-placed long pass from Coppell freshmen Nicolas Radicic from the 40 yard-line. Soon after, Rockwall-Heath put up back-to-back attacks in an attempt to tie the match. However, the Cowboys’ defense and midfield kept shots at bay.

The Cowboys saw their second goal in the dying minutes of the first half when Coppell senior midfielder Sebastian Blaas scored with an assist by Coppell senior forward Thomas Capdevila. Rockwall-Heath attacks decreased in frequency in the second half, and though the Cowboys landed numerous shots on-target, the match saw no more goals.

Coppell enters District 6-6A play at 5-4-2. Coppell begins its District 6-6A season at MacArthur on Friday at 7:30 p.m.

“We’ve been very aggressive-minded, trying to win everything,” Coppell coach James Balcom said. “At times, it left us vulnerable in the back so we have to pay more attention there. Especially with the lead, we need to make sure everything’s staying in front of us and be a little bit more conservative.”

Coppell looks to get healthy for the district season.

“Even tonight, we have still yet to have our full set of starters play together,” Balcom said. “We have had illnesses and injuries, every team deals with it. But the last two games I felt like we have had our best performances and we’re starting to get everybody back and ready to go. So we’re excited for Friday, it will be the first time we’ll see the starting unit together.”

One of the starters who recently made a return from injury was Coppell senior captain midfielder Nathan Hernandez, who was out almost three months due to an ankle injury. Cleared to play three matches ago, Hernandez played the entire 80 minutes last night.

“I am out of shape right now,” Hernandez said. “So coach is just trying to get me back to my prime. Right now, all I can do is go out there and give my best.”

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