The CCHS girls’ varsity soccer team had a pretty eventful week. The Lady Cowboys played the number one team in the state on Tuesday, the Archbishop McCarthy High School Mavericks. The following night, the Cowboys had senior night, where 11 seniors were escorted on the field. On Wednesday, they played the Flanagan Falcons and beat them 1-0.
The Lady Cowboys were faced with their first loss of the season against the Mavericks, but the score was nowhere near what was expected. Although the girls lost this game, it won’t count against their record because it was not a district game. The Lady Cowboys went into this game as the underdog and had all odds against them. They played the game without either of their starting goalies and still managed to only concede two goals.
“I am honestly proud of how we played overall,” Kimberly Slinkosky said. “We were able to prove to everyone and ourselves that we can keep up with a top team like that.”
To start the game, the Mavericks had the ball, but the game remained pretty even. There were a few simple mistakes in the back line that led to a corner kick, which was risky, but the Lady Cowboys were able to clear it. The ball was going back and forth the entire game. Every run was a sprint to the ball and every pass had to be on point or it would be stolen. Kylie Doherty had a lead, but in the blink of an eye, the Mavericks got the ball back and passed it into the Lady Cowboys’ box.
However, defender Taylor Pina came to the rescue, hitting the ball out. Soon after, the Mavericks scored in the first 20 minutes, making it 1-0. This did not stop the Lady Cowboys from keeping up the momentum. Doherty took a shot right after the Mavericks scored, but was unable to put it in the back of the net. For the rest of the first half, the ball was maintained in the Maverick box, and the game became more physical.
“Only being down 1-0 at halftime was not a bad thing at all,” senior Cailin Reto said. “Quite frankly, I thought it was impressive for us because we didn’t even have our team goalkeepers.”
After halftime, the Lady Cowboys started back up with the ball. The game remained pretty much the same, but it was clear that both teams were tired. Cooper City had minimal substitution all game. In the last 15 minutes of the game, the Mavericks got a penalty kick inside the Lady Cowboys’ box, scoring their second goal of the night. The Cowboys never gave up until the final whistle was blown. The final score was 2-0.
“My favorite memory about playing soccer all throughout high school would be coming to soccer in bad mood and leaving with a smile on my face,” Megna said.
“I am honestly proud of how we played overall,” Kimberly Slinkosky said. “We were able to prove to everyone and ourselves that we can keep up with a top team like that.”
On Wednesday, January 16, the Lady Cowboys played the Flanagan Falcons for the second time this season. They beat them once again, but this time it was senior night and the opposing team went up against an entire field of seniors. Samantha Worley scored the first goal of the night early on in the game. This was a very slow-paced game, continuing without any change in the score for its remainder and ending in 1-0.
The team’s senior night immediately followed the game and seemed to be the primary focus of the evening. There were 11 seniors, including Olivia Lewis, Sarah Megna, Cailin Reto, Danielle Gilchrist, Dominique Perron, Alexia Chacon, Samantha Worley, Jasmine O’Hara, Icsys Thompson, Leslie DeLeon and Trinity Reid.
“My favorite memory about playing soccer all throughout high school would be coming to soccer in bad mood and leaving with a smile on my face,” Megna said.
Overall, the week was successful for the Cowboys, even if they lost their first game. The team worked their hardest on Tuesday, and got to celebrate on Wednesday with senior night.
Photo by Kayla Florenco
