Soccer can be an incredibly frustrating game. Just as the Cooper boys. The Cougars put 10 shots on goal in the first half against Brownwood on Friday and still walked away down 1-0 at halftime.
They weren’t much more efficient in the second half, but still managed to come away with a 4-1 victory in the nondistrict game at Shotwell Stadium.
Hector Tijerina scored twice, while Isiah Arratia and Bailey Stewart each added a goal as Cooper (2-5-1) won its second consecutive game.
The Coogs, playing with a steady south wind to their backs in the first half, outshot the Lions 18-4 in the first half, putting 10 on goal, while Brownwood had three shots on goal.
Still, it was a scoreless game until Braden Bushnell scored off an assist from Joe Gosch to give the Lions a 1-0 lead 3:25 before halftime.
“We moved the ball around pretty well and created a lot of opportunities,” Cooper coach Lalo Munoz said. “I think we were just trying too hard there in the final third (of the field). We talked about it at halftime, about just staying composed and when we get to that end of the field about being more relaxed, play with a little bit of composure and keep working hard. The goals will come. In the second half, we were a little more composed and being a little more productive with that final pass in order to finish the play.”
Brownwood goalie Caleb Woodcock was sensational in the first half, making 10 stops. He made two more saves in the second half, while he got some help from Caleb Schoen, who cleared a ball right at the mouth of the goal, to preserve the 1-0 lead.
But Tijerina finally got a ball past him on a free kick about 20 yards out, tying the game at 1 with 5:58 into the second half.
Arratia got the go-ahead goal 24 seconds later, when Woodcock let a slow roller slip right through his hands. It came off a pass from Sylva Uwimana.
“Something we always talk about is, if we get that first goal, then it opens up for us,” Munoz said. “Immediately after that first goal, we got that second goal.”
Woodcock limped away from a collision later in the game, but stayed in the game. The decision might have played a role in Cooper’s third goal, a shot from Stewart off a pass from John Scaief with 22:53 left in the game. Woodcock got his body on the shot as he hit the ground, but the ball managed to squeak past him.
He then left the game and ended up leaving the stadium on crutches to get checked at a nearby emergency room. The guy made 16 saves, and it still wasn’t enough to help the Lions (2-5-1) win consecutive games for the first time this season.
“He played a good game,” Brownwood coach Brent Hardwick said. “It is what it is at the end. He played well. He’s at the ER, and we’re trying to check on him, make sure he’s all right. Jacob did a good job stepping in for him. It’s just how it goes sometimes.”
Jacob Dorsett finished the game at goal for Brownwood, making three saves. He gave up the final goal with 18:01 remaining in the game, after making a stop only for Tijerina to score off the rebound.
Munoz was impressed with Woodcock’s play, but he said the Coogs made it too easy on him at times.
“I told the guys we can make any goalkeeper look good if we’re shooting right them,” Munoz said. “Basically in the first half, that’s what we did. Just poor placement of our shots. Something we emphasized at halftime was when we get those opportunities, look at your options and find the open side of the goal. Even then, two of our shots that went in were right at the keeper. He just couldn’t handle them.”
Both coaches left Shotwell encouraged by what they saw.
“I was pretty pleased, especially with the first half,” Hardwick said of his Class 4A Lions. “After Cooper got that first goal, we kind of dipped our heads a little bit and kind of let them get a couple of extra ones on us that we know we’re way better than. Overall, I was pretty pleased. It just didn’t end up on the right side today.”
For Munoz, it was kind of a glass half full or half empty deal. After all, the Coogs did limit Brownwood to just nine shots overall, including five on goal, while Cooper goalie Nick Silva made four saves. At the other end of the field, the Coogs finished with 31 shots, putting 23 on goal – yet scored just four goals.
Not a very efficient night offensively.
“There’s a lot of good things we can take from this game,” Munoz said. “I thought we did a good job in the midfield, being able to control the game. I think we did a great job of moving the ball and creating a lot of opportunities from different parts of the field. So, that’s a plus. But the name of the game is to score goals, and that’s where we struggled. We won the goals. Scored four goals. But for as much as we created in the attack, we weren’t able to finish a lot of those opportunities. That’s an area we’ve got to continue to work on.”
Still, for a team that came into the game with a combined four goals on the season, the offensive output – and victory – was encouraging. Defensively, the Coogs have allowed no more than two goals in a game and 11 overall. They’ve been shutout four times, while losing three games by a goal.
“We knew the first part of the season was going to be pretty tough,” Munoz said. “We played some quality opponents at the tournaments. We knew it was going to be a process. We played a lot of those games pretty close. So to be in the middle of preseason and pick up two victories is good for our confidence. We’re young in some areas, but to get two wins can give them a little confidence moving on.”
Cooper wraps up nondistrict with three games, all on the road, beginning Tuesday at Burkburnett.