Soccer Game Preview: Manual vs. Centennial

Manual hasn't had much luck against Centennial recently, but that could start to change on Thursday. The Rams will head out on the road to challenge the Chargers at 4:30 p.m. Manual has given up an average of 5.8 goals per game this season, but Thursday's game will give them a chance to turn things around.

Manual fell victim to Richwoods and their airtight defense on Tuesday. They lost 9-0 to the Knights. That's two games in a row now that Manual have lost by exactly nine goals.

Meanwhile, after soaring to six goals the game before, Centennial was a bit more limited in their match on Sunday. They fell just short of Champaign Central by a score of 2-1. Centennial have struggled against Champaign Central recently, as the game was their third consecutive lost meeting.

Centennial's goal came courtesy of Alaina Kimble, who's now up to six this season.

Centennial's defeat dropped their record down to 9-8-1. As for Manual, this is the second loss in a row for them and nudges their season record down to 2-8.

Manual suffered a grim 10-0 defeat to Centennial in their previous meeting back in May of 2024. Can the Rams avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.