Soccer Game Preview: Grafton vs. Elkins

The Grafton Bearcats will take on the Elkins Tigers at 8:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Grafton's offense has struggled lately (the team hasn't scored more than a single goal for three straight games), a trend the team is no doubt ready to end.

Grafton took an eight-goal loss the last time they faced off against Charleston Catholic, but this time they managed to keep it close and that made all the difference. The Bearcats' defense stepped up to hand the Irish a 1-0 shutout on Saturday. The score was all tied up 0-0 at the break, but Grafton were the better team in the second half.

Meanwhile, Elkins faced Winfield in a battle between two of the state's top teams on Saturday. The Tigers lost 4-1 to the Generals. The match was a 0-0 toss-up at halftime, but Elkins couldn't quite close it out.

Having lost for the first time this season, Elkins fell to 8-1-3. As for Grafton, they have been performing well recently as they've won three of their last four matchups. That's provided a nice bump to their 7-2-2 record this season.

Grafton came out on top in a nail-biter against Elkins when the teams last played back in October of 2024, sneaking past 1-0. Will the Bearcats repeat their success, or do the Tigers have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.