Soccer Game Preview: Emerald Ridge vs. Puyallup

The Emerald Ridge Jaguars will take on the Puyallup Vikings at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday. The two teams are sauntering into the matchup backed by comfortable wins in their prior games.

Emerald Ridge's defense heads into the contest hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Tuesday. They were the clear victors by a 4-0 margin over South Kitsap. The victory continues a trend for Emerald Ridge in their matchups with South Kitsap: they've now won five in a row.

The home team had won the previous three meetings between Puyallup and Olympia, and Puyallup kept the tradition alive. The Vikings blew past the Bears 6-2 on Tuesday.

Emerald Ridge's win was their third straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 3-1-1. Those road victories came thanks in part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they scored eight goals over those three games. As for Puyallup, their win bumped their record up to 3-0-1.

Emerald Ridge suffered a grim 3-0 defeat to Puyallup when the teams last played back in March of 2024. Can the Jaguars avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.