BY MARK BRENT
On Wednesday, November 9th, Cooper City High’s varsity soccer teams played against Pembroke Pines Charter in a non-district game.
BOYS
Coming out of a tough 1-0 loss to Hallandale, the Cowboys had a chance to redeem themselves against a very talented Jaguars team. Sean Lucena, the Cowboys new head coach, wanted to get the ball rolling for his first season as the CCHS new head coach. In the first half, before the water break, a lightning fast Jaguar midfielder dribbled through 3 off the cowboy defenders to score a goal in the bottom right corner, making the game 1-0. Then, seconds before the water break, Mateo Upegui scored off of a perfect pass from Alonso Mendoza, tying the game up. The score was tied at halftime. When halftime was over, both teams were determined to finish the game with the win. In the beginning of the 3rd, the Jaguars scored a quick goal, making the game 3-1. However, the Cowboys didn’t give up hope. As they tried to battle back, the Jaguars defense seemed to be resilient, but they were not perfect. Thomas Upegui scored the final goal of the match. Although the Cowboys did not win, they are still staying optimistic. A disappointing 0-2 start, can turn around quickly with practice. FINAL: Cowboys 2, Jaguars 3.
GIRLS
After mercy ruling the Hallandale Chargers 8-0, the lady Cowboys came into the game with a full head of steam. However, the refs didn’t have their back. Pines Charter came out of the gates strong, they scored 2 goals in the first half and played shut down defense. It wasn’t until 2 minutes left in the match when Vikki Ramos scored a goal to cut into the 2-1 by the Jaguars. Unfortunately for the Cowboys, the comeback wasn’t available. Even though the girls lost 2-1, the Cowboys should have won. Twice during the game, the Cowboys scored goals which were blatantly in the net, but the refs declared that they were not goals. These two mistakes by the referees ultimately cost the Cowboys the victory. FINAL: Cowboys 1, Jaguars 2.
