Soccer Game Preview: Compton vs. Centennial

The Compton Tarbabes will take on the Centennial Apaches in a holiday battle at 5:30 p.m. on Friday.

Compton is likely headed into the matchup with a focus on the second half, which is when things went downhill against Lakewood on Wednesday. The Tarbabes fell just short of the Lancers by a score of 1-0. While losing is never fun, Compton can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' California soccer rankings (they are ranked 740th, while Lakewood are ranked 176th).

Meanwhile, Centennial was not the first on the board last Wednesday, but they got there more often. They skirted past Verbum Dei Jesuit 2-1. Centennial haven't had any issues with Verbum Dei Jesuit recently, as the game was their third consecutive victory against them.

Compton has traveled a rocky road recently, having lost three of their last four matches. That's put a noticeable dent in their 1-3-2 record this season. Centennial's first win this season bumped their record up to 1-1-2.

Compton came out on top in a nail-biter against Centennial when the teams last played back in December of 2024, sneaking past 3-2. Do the Tarbabes have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Apaches turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.