Soccer Recap: Hickory Falls Short Against Ranked Western Branch

Hickory faced Western Branch in a battle between two of the state's top teams on Thursday. The Hawks fell 3-1 to the Bruins. Hickory have struggled against Western Branch recently, as the game was their third consecutive lost meeting.

Hickory's goal came courtesy of Izzy Barrett, who's now up to nine this season.

Hickory's loss was their first in the region, dropping their region record down to 5-1 and their overall record down to 9-3-2. As for Western Branch, they have been performing incredibly well recently as they've won seven of their last eight matchups. That's provided a nice bump to their 9-2 record this season.

We've got plenty of inter-region action coming up soon. Hickory will challenge rival Nansemond River at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Meanwhile, Western Branch is set to take on their familiar foe Oscar Smith at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday.