Soccer Game Preview: Pace Academy vs. Starr's Mill

The Pace Academy Knights will take on the Starr's Mill Panthers at 6:00 p.m. on Friday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.

Pace Academy's defense heads into the contest hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Wednesday. They put the hurt on Forest Park with a sharp 10-0 win. It was an even better day for Abigail Young as she scored three goals for her team.

Meanwhile, Starr's Mill came tearing into Tuesday's game with four straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 8.8 goals), and they left with even more momentum. They were the clear victor by a 4-1 margin over the Tigers.

Starr's Mill used a slightly different lineup for their bout with Harris County. Livie Davison played for 80 minutes having averaged 56.9 this season and Olivia Shaw got 80 vs. an average of 45.1. Shaw made the most of the opportunity, scoring two goals and one assist A few more games like that and she might be seeing even more time going forward.

Starr's Mill pushed their record up to 6-4 with the victory, which was their third straight at home. Those victories came thanks in part to their defensive effort, having only given up one goal over those three matchups. As for Pace Academy, they have been performing well recently as they've won four of their last five contests. That's provided a nice bump to their 7-3 record this season.

Pace Academy beat Starr's Mill by a goal when the teams last played back in March of 2022, winning 4-3. Does Pace Academy have another victory up their sleeve, or will Starr's Mill turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.