BY ETHAN MUNCAN
The Cowboys traveled to McArthur High School to play against the Mustangs in a district soccer game for the second time this year. The previous game was held at Cooper City High School, with the Cowboys winning 8-0. This game was held on December 4 at 6:00 P.M. The Cowboys won the game 4-0, and still hold a 4-0 undefeated record in districts and an 8-1-1 record overall.
In the first half of the game, the Cowboys started pressuring right away, with senior Vikki Ramos opening the game with a driven shot in the bottom right corner. Although the Cowboys had the lead, they kept pushing hard and defending well to keep a clean sheet. The Cowboys had many opportunities to score again afterwards but the shots were either saved or shot far wide. However, it wasn’t long until the Cowboys found the back of the net again. Berlin Rodriguez sent Kelly Nelson a perfect pass that was placed into the net, scoring the second goal of the game. McArthur began to make mistakes in their defense and midfield, giving the Cowboys multiple chances to set up shots. The first half ended 2-0, leaving the Mustangs broken down early by the back-to-back goals.
“We kept a good intensity the whole game and pressured the other team to turnover the ball many times,” Rodriguez said. “If we play every game with the same intensity we will continue to come up victorious in important district games.”
At the start of the second half, Kimberly Slinkosky scored to make the game 3-0, getting a comfortable lead on the Mustangs. Unfortunately, Slinkosky was injured in a clash with the goalkeeper and was subbed off. Despite the loss of a key player up top, the Cowboys were able to capitalize on a final goal from Annie Clark to secure the win. The Mustangs had a few chances, but the Cowboys had a solid defense and cleared any loose balls. Miscommunication between Mustang players resulted in critical errors for the team, such as poorly done passes which lead to them turning over the ball to the Cowboys many times. The game ended with another Cowboy shutout and a clean sheet.
The next game for the Cowboys is December 6 at home against Flanagan High in a district game. The girls hope to stay undefeated in districts and secure a bye in the first round of playoffs.
Final score: Cooper City 4, McArthur 0
Photo by Benjamin Milgram
