Soccer Game Preview: Manual vs. Richwoods

Manual hasn't had much luck against Richwoods recently, but that could start to change on Tuesday. The Rams will head out on the road to challenge the Knights at 5:00 p.m. Manual has given up an average of 5.4 goals per game this season, but Tuesday's game will give them a chance to turn things around.

Manual is coming in off a wild two-game stretch: after soaring to four goals on Thursday, they were much more limited against Monmouth-Roseville on Monday. They came up short against the Titans, falling 9-0.

Meanwhile, after low-scoring totals in their previous three matchup, Richwoods brought some dynamite into their most recent contest. Their defense stepped up to hand Bloomington a 9-0 shutout on Thursday. Given Richwoods' advantage in MaxPreps' Illinois soccer rankings (they are ranked 59th, while Bloomington are ranked 346th) , the win wasn't entirely unexpected.

Richwoods' offense was hitting Bloomington from everywhere, as seven different players booted in a goal. Ella Meritt-Ahanda led that balanced group of strikers and accounted for two goals all by herself.

Richwoods' victory bumped their record up to 9-4-3. As for Manual, their defeat dropped their record down to 2-7.

Manual might still be hurting after the 9-0 loss they got from Richwoods in their previous matchup back in April of 2024. Can the Rams avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.