BY KAYLA GATES
With soccer season underway, the Lady Cowboys have taken to the field, training and competing against schools across the county. Cooper City High School has faced many opponents so far, but remains undefeated. The team hopes to further their winning streak as the competition intensifies.
The 2018-2019 soccer season began in late October. Students of all grade levels participated in a week of tryouts in order to showcase their skills and potentially make the team. The selected players then practiced for the upcoming season, which officially started in November.
Following a season that included a win at the district championship, the Lady Cowboys hoped to match those achievements this year. However, the team had many changes to work with. The first involved an adjustment to the coaching staff. Kevin Coleman took over as the head coach for the girl’s varsity team this year. Another involved changes to the roster, as the team lost and gained players prior to the start of the season.
Since their opening game, no school has been able to score a goal against Cooper City.
Many new students were promoted to the varsity level after showing a great amount of skill during tryouts. Among those players are freshmen Kylie Doherty, Alexis Monge, Tamar Shani, Julia Moore, Sabrina Molina and Sofia Molina. The girls have not only played at starting positions, but have contributed to the high scores at each game.
“It’s an honor playing on varsity as one of the only starting freshmen,” Doherty said. “I feel like I’ve played good for a freshman.”
Despite many adjustments, the team hoped to start the year strong. The Lady Cowboys opened their season with a home game against Pembroke Pines Charter on November 13. The teams were tied with two points each for the majority of the game, but Cooper City managed to score the winning goal late in the second half. The game ended with a score of 3-2, and became the team’s first victory of the season.
After a close opening game, the Lady Cowboys worked hard to improve both their defense and offense during their weekly practices. The result was an undefeated and unscored upon team. Since their opening game, no school has been able to score a goal against Cooper City.
The season consisted of many games in which the Lady Cowboys took a significant lead. One instance was the team’s November 27 game against Miramar High School, which ended with a score of 11-0. Cooper City took on and defeated the school once again on December 12, where Miramar lost by a score of 10-0.
“Hopefully all of the hard work we’ve been putting into our team will pay off and we can bring home another district championship trophy.”
“I think that throughout the season we have learned a lot about how each other plays, which helped us in the games,” sophomore Karlie Schlosser said. “Coach Coleman has given us different strategies that help us penetrate the defense where a lot of our goals are scored from.”
With the Lady Cowboys putting many points on the board and their opponents struggling to score, Cooper City has remained undefeated. The team has won 14 consecutive games, including their seven district matchups.
With such accomplishments has come recognition at both the local and national levels. Cooper City High School is ranked 24 in the state of Florida and 74 in the country for girls soccer. The team also holds the top stop in its district.
The team hopes to remain undefeated as they transition from the regular season to the playoffs.
As for the future, the Lady Cowboys look forward to the remainder of the year. With only four games left in the regular season, the team hopes to continue their winning streak as they approach the playoffs. Players hope to not only match last year’s district title, but advance even farther.
“We’ve learned to incorporate different playing techniques to help us not only win games but prepare for harder ones down the road,” senior Sarah Megna said. “Hopefully all of the hard work we’ve been putting into our team will pay off and we can bring home another district championship trophy.”
All in all, the Lady Cowboys are confident in their progress this season, which has included many wins. The team hopes to remain undefeated as they transition from the regular season to the playoffs. Cooper City High School’s
Photo by Cassie Hartmann
