BY OLIVIA LEWIS
The CCHS boys varsity soccer team played their first two games of the season this week. On Tuesday, November 13, the Cowboys faced off against the Pines Charter Jaguars at home. On Thursday, November 15, Cooper City played against the Deerfield Beach Bucks at home. The Cowboys lost to the Jaguars with a score of 2-0; however, they beat the Bucks with a score of 3-1.
With a new coach and bundle of new players, the Cowboys had no idea how their first game of the season was going to play out.
The team arrived at 3 p.m. and headed to Coach Solomon’s classroom. While in the room, the team went over the formation they are going to play in and the mistakes they had made during the previous game.
After leaving the classroom, the team formed two lines and walked out onto the field. Once they arrived, they put on their cleats and shinguards and reformed the two lines. Captains Gio Abril and Emre Taskin led the stretches. After they stretched, the players got into position and began passing drills. Five minutes before the game started, the Cowboys huddled together to talk to the coach and go over the starting lineup.
Gabe Delacadena was fouled by a Pines Charter player and fell. He immediately came out of the game and left in an ambulance because he dislocated and fractured three parts in his wrist.
The referee blew the whistle and the Cowboys headed out onto the field, determined to win their first game of the season. The Jaguars came out aggressive, receiving multiple fouls early on in the game. The Cowboys tried moving the ball around Pines Charter, but the Jaguars kept fouling them.
Cooper City had a few shots on goal, but none of them went in. The Jaguars got a breakaway in the first half and were able to secure the first goal of the game. For the rest of the half, the Cowboys worked hard to score a goal but were unable to finish the ball.
After halftime, the Cowboys came out and passed the ball around the opposing team. They were dominating and playing through the middle. However, with around 20 minutes left in the game, forward Gabe Delacadena was fouled by a Pines Charter player and fell. He immediately came out of the game and left in an ambulance because he dislocated and fractured three parts in his wrist.
With one of their most crucial players gone, the Cowboys had to regain their momentum and composure. The Jaguars had a shot on goal, but goalie Cole Martin dropped quickly to make the save, keeping the Cowboys in the game. However, soon after, the Cowboys tried to keep a Jaguar forward offsides but the player shot the ball and scored. The game soon came to an end, with the Cowboys losing 2-0.
Taskin played a through ball to Mikey Hebding, who chipped the ball over the goalie’s head to make the score 2-0. Taskin passed another through ball to forward Shon Mittler, who finished the ball and made the score 3-0.
“I think we just need to work harder in practice,” Abril said. “The team has a lot of potential– we just need to build off of it.”
On Thursday, the boys seemed excited to play, hoping to redeem themselves after their loss on Tuesday. The Cowboys came out and quickly moved the ball up the field. Forward Alan Maldonado finished a ball early in the first quarter, making the score 1-0.
Keeping the momentum going, Taskin played a through ball to Mikey Hebding, who chipped the ball over the goalie’s head to make the score 2-0. Taskin passed another through ball to forward Shon Mittler, who finished the ball and made the score 3-0.
After halftime, the coach made a few substitutions and the game continued. The Bucks were able to finish a goal in the second half but were unable to tie the game up. The final score of the second game was 3-1, with the Cowboys securing the win.
“The team worked really hard the second game,” Taskin said. “If we continue to play like this, we will win a lot throughout the season.”
Photo by Kayla Florenco
