Soccer Game Preview: North Stafford vs. Massaponax

The North Stafford Wolverines are taking a road trip to square off against the Massaponax Panthers at 6:30 p.m. on Monday. Both come into the game bolstered by wins in their previous matches.

North Stafford hadn't beaten Colonial Forge on the road since April 12, 2024 but that history sure didn't bother them on Thursday. While the 2-2 score might suggest a draw, it was the Wolverines who were credited with the win. North Stafford got it done in the shootout by posting seven goals to Colonial Forge's six. North Stafford found success even though the refs didn't miss a thing: three North Stafford players were handed yellow cards.

Arthur Etoa was the driving force of North Stafford's attack as he scored both of North Stafford's goals, bringing his season total up to 12 goals.

North Stafford will be up against a hot Massaponax team: the squad just extended their winning streak to four. The Panthers never let Stafford get on the board and left with a 1-0 victory on Thursday. The final result isn't all the surprising considering Massaponax's considerable advantage in MaxPreps' Virginia soccer rankings (they are ranked 13th, while Stafford are ranked 169th).

Massaponax pushed their record up to 14-2-1 with the win, which was their sixth straight at home. The home victories came thanks in part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they scored 16 goals over those six matches. As for North Stafford, the win made it two in a row for them and bumps their season record up to 5-9-3.

North Stafford came up short against Massaponax when the teams last played last Friday, falling 4-2. Can the Wolverines avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.