Soccer Game Preview: Academy of the Sacred Heart vs. Austin Catholic

The Academy of the Sacred Heart Gazelles will venture away from home to square off against the Austin Catholic Crusaders at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday. Academy of the Sacred Heart will be strutting in after a win while Austin Catholic will be coming in after a loss.

Academy of the Sacred Heart will roll into the matchup after a wild two-game stretch: they didn't score any goals on Saturday, then bounced right back against Cardinal Mooney Catholic on Tuesday. The Gazelles were the clear victors by an 8-1 margin over the Cardinals.

Meanwhile, Austin Catholic was not able to break out of their rough patch on Thursday as the team picked up their third straight defeat. They fell 4-2 to St. Catherine of Siena Academy. While losing is never fun, Austin Catholic can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Michigan soccer rankings (they are ranked 370th, while St. Catherine of Siena Academy are ranked 109th).

Austin Catholic's loss dropped their record down to 2-5-1. As for Academy of the Sacred Heart, their victory ended a five-game drought on the road and puts them at 4-7-1.

Academy of the Sacred Heart took their win against Austin Catholic in their previous meeting back in April of 2024 by a conclusive 5-0 score. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Gazelles since the squad won't have the home-pitch advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.