Soccer Game Preview: Hampton Roads Academy vs. Catholic

The Hampton Roads Academy Navigators will face off against the Catholic Crusaders at 4:00 p.m. on Thursday. Neither team made it on the board the last time they hit the pitch, so they've probably got a bit of extra motivation.

Hampton Roads Academy fell victim to Norfolk Academy and their airtight defense on Tuesday. They came up short against the Bulldogs, falling 8-0. While losing is never fun, Hampton Roads Academy can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Virginia soccer rankings (they are ranked 111th, while Norfolk Academy are ranked fifth).

Meanwhile, for the first time this season, Catholic was forced to settle for a draw. They and Virginia Academy finished up their matchup with a 0-0 draw on Wednesday.

Catholic was without their leading scorer, Stella Wood, in Wednesday's contest. With Wood sitting this one out, Olivia Gusman got some extra time on the pitch (80 vs. her season average of 40).

Hampton Roads Academy's loss was their first in the region, dropping their region record down to 3-1-1 and their overall record down to 3-3-1. Catholic's draw gives them a new season record of 6-3-1.

Hampton Roads Academy took their win against Catholic when the teams last played back in May of 2024 by a conclusive 4-0 score. Do the Navigators have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Crusaders turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.