Soccer Game Preview: Lakeland Preparatory vs. University

The Lakeland Preparatory Lions are taking a road trip to square off against the University Tigers at 5:00 p.m. on Friday. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (Lakeland Preparatory has four straight victories, University has three straight losses), but none of that matters once you're on the pitch.

Lakeland Preparatory had to skate by with only a one-goal margin when they last took the pitch, which might have inspired the five-goal drubbing they dealt Memphis Central on Thursday. The Lions never let the Warriors get on the board and left with a 5-0 win. Lakeland Preparatory's defense has been rock solid lately; the team hasn't given up a goal in their last four matchups.

Adam Atkinson was the driving force of Lakeland Preparatory's attack as he scored all five of Lakeland Preparatory's goals, bringing his season total up to 17 goals.

Meanwhile, Thursday just wasn't the day for University's offense. They fell 2-0 to Craigmont on Thursday.

Lakeland Preparatory's victory was their third straight at home, which pushed their record up to 11-2-2. Those home wins came thanks in part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they scored 13 goals over those three contests. As for University, their defeat dropped their record down to 2-5.

Lakeland Preparatory took their victory against University in their previous matchup back in April of 2024 by a conclusive 11-2 score. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Lions since the team won't have the home-pitch advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.