Soccer Game Preview: Animo Leadership vs. Hawthorne

Animo Leadership and Hawthorne are an even 4-4-1 against one another since January of 2015, but likely not for long. The Animo Leadership Aztec Eagles will be playing at home against the Hawthorne Cougars at 4:00 p.m. on Friday.

Animo Leadership is probably headed into the matchup with a chip on their shoulder considering Paramount just ended the team's three-game winning streak on Friday. They came up short against the Pirates, falling 4-0. While losing is never fun, the Aztec Eagles can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' California soccer rankings (they are ranked 312th, while the Pirates are ranked 100th).

Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Hawthorne, who bounced back after a loss on the road two weeks ago. They never let Morningside onto the board and left with a 2-0 win last Friday. The victory was a breath of fresh air for the Cougars as it put an end to their seven-game losing streak.

Animo Leadership now has a losing record at 6-7-2. As for Hawthorne, their win (their first of the season) made their record 1-7-1.

Animo Leadership took their victory against Hawthorne in their previous meeting back in December of 2023 by a conclusive 6-0. Will Animo Leadership repeat their success, or does Hawthorne have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.