Soccer Game Preview: Clayton vs. Fuquay - Varina

Clayton is 1-8 against Fuquay - Varina since May of 2015 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Monday. The Comets will host the Bengals at 6:00 p.m. Both teams beat their previous opponents by a single goal, so this matchup might be just as contested.

Clayton took a three-goal defeat the last time they faced off against Cleveland, but this time they managed to keep it close and that made all the difference. The Comets' defense stepped up to hand the Rams a 1-0 shutout on Tuesday. Clayton's winning goal came courtesy of Rylee Williford.

Meanwhile, Fuquay - Varina had already won five in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 3.2 goals) and they went ahead and made it six last Thursday. They came within a single goal of losing the streak, but they secured a 1-0 W against the Pirates. That's two games straight that Fuquay - Varina have won by just one goal.

Clayton is on a roll lately: they've won four of their last five matchups. That's provided a massive bump to their 6-4 record this season. The victories came thanks in part to their defensive effort, having only given up one goal over those five contests. As for Fuquay - Varina, their win bumped their record up to 8-4.

Clayton came up short against Fuquay - Varina in their previous matchup back in April of 2024, falling 3-1. Can the Comets avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.