BY OLIVIA LEWIS
With the temperature being 40 degrees, the boys knew the game was going to be challenging. The Cowboys warmed up longer than usual to get their blood flowing in the freezing weather. Once the girls final whistle blew, the boys took the field and began taking shots. Soon after, their referee blew the whistle and the game began. Fighting hard for all 80 minutes of the game, Cooper City lost by one point to the Jaguars, ending the game with a score of 0-1.
As soon as the Cowboys started the kick off, both teams were running and trying to regain warmth to their bodies. The game was competitive from the very beginning with each team gaining possession of the ball. The Cowboys moved the ball around the defense, trying to find their midfielders through the open pockets. Ethan Muncan attempted to look for outlet passes, but the Jaguars kept their defense tight, eventually regaining possession of the ball. Pines Charter played very direct in hopes of scoring goals early on in the game. However, the Cowboys held their back line and refused to let any forwards past them. Both teams had several chances to put the ball in the back of the net, but neither could finish it. The half ended with a score of 0-0.
“We started the game off with high intensity that allowed us to keep the game level,” Greg Satinover said. “ We played a very physical game and kept ourselves in the game mentally for the entire 80 minutes.”
The players took five minutes during half time to run up and down the sidelines in attempt to keep their bodies warm. When the referee blew the whistle, they ran back onto the field and were determined to win. The Cowboys came out flying, trying to strip every Pines Charter player of the ball. The Jaguars made a good passing combination, leading them down the field. They made it all the way to the 18-yard box, but the Cowboys cleared it. However, the clearance wasn’t hard enough and the Jaguars regained possession. One of Pines Charter forwards took a shot and made it, putting them in the lead by one point. The Cowboys fought back, hoping to tie the game up before the water break. Cooper City made accurate passes all the way down the field, eventually landing them in the position to take a shot. Pines Charter fouled a Cooper City forward, which ended up giving them a penalty kick. Emre Taskin took the shot, but the ball bounced off the inside of the post, and was cleared by a Pines Charter defender. Water break was called and the boys ran quickly to talk to their coach. Following water break, both teams stayed strong and fought until the very end. With a few minutes remaining, the Jaguars became sloppy and the Cowboys tried to take advantage of that. The final whistle was blown and the Cowboys jogged off the field with their heads high and proud of all their efforts.
The Cowboys look forward to their game next week against their biggest rivals, Western High School. They hope to win the next game and do well in their district playoffs.
Final score: Cooper City 0, Flanagan 1
Photo by Benjamin Milgram
