Soccer Game Preview: Escalon vs. Hilmar

The Escalon Cougars will take on the Hilmar Yellowjackets in a holiday battle at at 3:30 p.m. on Friday. Neither team made it on the board the last time they hit the pitch, so they've probably got a bit of extra motivation.

Hilmar will have to contend with a Escalon squad hungry for a win, something the team hasn't seen since November 26. Escalon might have been a little too into the holiday spirit, gifting Sonora an easy 5-0 victory.

Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Hilmar, who bounced back after a loss on the road on Saturday. Their defense stepped up to hand Ripon Christian a 1-0 shutout on Wednesday. The Yellowjackets wouldn't have won without Alyssa Colston, who scored the game-winner.

Hilmar pushed their record up to 8-3-1 with the win, which was their third straight at home. Those victories came thanks to their defensive effort, having only given up one goal over those three matchups. As for Escalon, their loss dropped their record down to 2-2-3.