Soccer Game Preview: Smithville vs. Kearney

The Smithville Warriors are taking a road trip to face off against the Kearney Bulldogs at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Smithville's defense has only allowed 0.3 goals per game this season, so Kearney's offense will have their work cut out for them.

Smithville is coming in off a wild two-game stretch: after soaring to four goals on Tuesday, they were much more limited against Pembroke Hill on Thursday. They fell just short of the Raiders by a score of 1-0. The loss was Smithville's first of the season.

Meanwhile, Kearney had already won four in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 3.3 goals) and they went ahead and made it five on Tuesday. Their defense stepped up to hand the Cardinals an 8-0 shutout. That looming 8-0 mark stands out as the most commanding margin for Kearney yet this season.

Kearney's win was their third straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 5-1. Those road victories came thanks in part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they scored 18 goals over those three games. As for Smithville, their loss dropped their record down to 6-1.

Smithville beat Kearney by a goal when the teams last played back in May of 2024, winning 2-1. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Warriors since the team won't have the home-pitch advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.