The Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School women’s varsity soccer team won their game against the Cooper City Cowboys on Tuesday, Jan. 7. The game was from 4-5:30 p.m. at Cumber Stadium; it was also Senior Night.
The game began with a celebration for the graduating seniors on the team. Each senior got their photo posted on the stadiums, received flowers and took pictures with their families. As each girl received recognition for their hard work throughout high school as a student-athlete, they were called up onto the field one-by-one. As they were called up, an announcer spoke about all of the things they had accomplished during high school and what college they got accepted into. Even their favorite quotes were shared.
“I love playing with these girls,” senior Sophia Dal Molin said. “I'm sad that I'm a senior and it's my last year, but I appreciate all the moments I have with them.”
This heartfelt celebration is a tradition at MSD; Senior nights allow graduating athletes to be recognized and supported by their teams as they head into the next chapter of their lives. After pictures were taken, the girls began warming up by playing a possession game and doing passing drills.
The game began with the Eagles in possession of the ball. Within the first ten minutes of the game, one shot was taken by striker Breanna Gordon (22) but was blocked by the Cooper City goalie. Shortly after, goalie Ella Stevens (1) saved a shot from a Cooper City striker.
It was a tough battle for possession, and no one scored during the first two quarters. Later, during half time, both teams replenished and made their substitutions. This allowed for the Lady Eagles to score their first goal of the game, made by forward Taylor Le (21).
“I was pretty confident about how we played today, but I was pretty proud of my team overall,” Le said. “This game made me appreciate how we play well as a team and are friends on and off the field.”
After the Eagles’ first goal, Cooper City made a few attempts at getting a point back, but failed to execute said attempts. As the fight for possession persevered, the Lady Eagles managed to score two more goals.
Continuing to connect passes and communicate on the field, the Eagles were able to strengthen their defense and push towards the goals. The second goal was scored by forward Courtney Heymach (24), and shortly after, the third was scored by midfielder Emily Rodriguez (5), ending the game with a score of 3-0.
“I think this game was a good challenge after coming back from break,” coach Laura Rountree said. “Cooper City is a good team; they only had one loss coming into this game and I thought that we progressed as the game went on, so it was a good challenge.”
The Eagles celebrated their victory against Cooper City and will continue practicing for their next game in the hopes of securing yet another win. Their next game will take place on Thursday, Jan. 16 at Cumber Stadium against St. Thomas Aquinas High School.
