Lady Dawgs’ soccer finding stride as season winds down

By TJ MAXWELL

Cove Leader-Press

The sports adage “if there was only more time on the clock” may ring true for the Copperas Cove Lady Dawgs’ soccer team this season as they’ve found a way to earn victories but don’t have enough game left to make up that ground. They currently sit in sixth place at 4-8-1 (12 points) with Temple holding that final playoff spot at 6-4-3 (22 points) with Heights (6-5-2 (21 points) in hot pursuit.

After a less than ideal start to the season that has the team on the outside of the playoff bubble, the Lady Dawgs have lost just one of their last four games.

The Lady Dawgs started the week with a 6-3 win over Ellison on Monday, followed by a 6-1 win over Shoemaker on Tuesday before suffering a tough 2-1 loss to Harker Heights Friday night at Bulldawg Stadium in a windy district matchup.

The Lady Dawgs then added a penalty kick victory on the road over Killeen on Tuesday to wrap up a solid eight-day span.

At home on Friday, the Lady Dawgs found themselves in an early hole when Heights Eryka Anderson got free for a goal in the sixth minute for a 1-0 Heights’ lead.

Freshman Emily Poste got a couple looks with shots on goal in the ninth and 14th minutes before getting a little help from the wind on a corner kick that bent in over the outstretched arms of Heights’ goalkeeper Brooke Frierson in the 15th minute for a 1-1 score.

After another attempt on goal by Cove freshman Hailey Williams in the 21st minute, Heights’ Aricela Ruiz got past the Cove defense for a goal and 2-1 lead heading into halftime and that would prove to be all the Lady Knights would need as both teams would go scorelss in the second half.

The Lady Dawgs have a chance to play spoiler in the season finale tonight as a win on the road over Temple, paired with wins by Killeen and Harker Heights, would eliminate the TemCats from playoff contention. That scenario is unlikely, however, as Killen is facing 13-0 Belton while the Lady Knights face second place Bryan (10-2-1) in their season finales.