The Coppell Cowboys Varsity Lacrosse team opened their 2018 season last night against Rockwall at Lesley Field. Rockwall is coming off winning the Texas Division 2 High School Championship last year.
Both teams took some time to get going on a cold evening, with Rockwall striking first about six minutes into the first quarter. Coppell’s offense heated up after that, scoring three straight goals to end the first quarter up 3-1, highlighted by 2 assists by Freshman Gavin Osteen. Osteen finished the game with 1 goal and 2 assists. Junior Walker Cain added two unassisted goals for the Cowboys in the second quarter, as Coppell grew the lead to 7-3 at halftime. Senior Zach Bartolacci also scored 2 goals in the quarter, and finished with 3 goals on the game. Cain finished the night as the offensive leader for Coppell with 4 goals and 2 assists.
Coppell widened their lead again in the third quarter, highlighted by a strong defensive effort by a unit that features several new faces compared to the senior-heavy defensive unit from last year. Sophomore Reid Robbins forced 2 turnovers and grabbed 3 ground balls, and Senior Harper DeLoach provided lock-down defense and grabbed 2 groundballs. Freshmen Colton Delk, Remington Reynolds, and Cannon Peters all contributed to the solid defensive effort as well, while short-stick middie Brandon Point led the team with 4 ground ball wins. Junior two-way middies Ethan and Luke Bivens logged heavy minutes at both ends of the field on the night, playing tough defense and combining for 2 goals, 1 assist, and 5 ground ball wins.
The Cowboys built their lead to 11-4 midway through the 4th quarter, which allowed them to play deep into their roster and gain valuable experience for many of the newer varsity players. Coppell came away with a 12-7 final margin of victory and moves to 1-0 on the season.
The Cowboys have a quick turnaround for their next game, which will be on the road this Friday night against Allen High School at 6:30 PM, followed immediately by the JV game. Please try and make the trip across town to support the Cowboys as they try to stay undefeated on the season.