BY OLIVIA LEWIS
The Cooper City boys varsity soccer team faced off against the Hallandale Chargers on Monday, November 7th. Sadly, the Cowboys lost their first game of the season 1-0.
The game started off slowly, with neither team having any opportunities to score a goal. The Cowboys tried to make their way down the field, but were unsuccessful. Just like the Cowboys, the Chargers were unable to get through the Cooper City defense. The Cowboy defense marked every opposing player, giving Hallandale no chances at goal.
After the water break, the Cowboys picked up the pace of the game and started putting pressure on the Chargers.
Junior Greg Satinover had a chance at goal, but just missed it. “We need to talk more,” Satinover said. “We need to get a connection from defense to midfield so we can create opportunities for our attackers.”
The game was tight and both teams were still going at each other, waiting for a mistake. The Cowboys didn’t let the Chargers past them, taking the ball from the players left and right. Cooper City continued to work together and connect the ball down the field. The half ended with a score of 0-0.
Cooper City came out stronger than they did the first half, but so did Hallandale. Both teams were battling for the ball, and numerous penalties were called. The Cowboys fouled a Hallandale player outside the 18-yard box, giving the Chargers a free kick. The Cowboys were caught off guard and one of the opposing players headed the ball in off the free kick, putting the score at 0-1. That goal added fuel to their fire, the Cowboys started playing as hard as they could to tie the game. Senior William Upegui ripped a shot at the goal and the ball went just outside the goal. Cooper City continued to fight, determined to win their first game of the season.
The Cowboys knew the game was coming close to an end, but that didn’t stop them. Junior Mateo Upegui had an attempt at goal, but barely missed the goal.
“I look forward to winning districts again and hopefully this time going to states,” Upegui said.
The Cowboys didn’t allow any more goals from the Chargers, and repeatedly challenged them. They continued to create chances as goal, but we unsuccessful with each attempt. The Cowboys were unable to find the back of the net, and sadly lost the game 0-1.
“We are starting to come together as a team but it’s hard when a new coach comes in and we have to keep adjusting to get where we want,” junior Andrew Hausdorff said. “We really didn’t know what to expect Monday but now that we know our problems we’re going to work on them.”
Final Score: Cooper City 0, Hallandale 1
