Soccer Game Preview: Hilmar vs. Escalon

The Hilmar Yellowjackets will venture away from home to take on the Escalon Cougars at 3:30 p.m. on Friday. Hilmar is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 2.6 goals per game this season.

Hilmar took a loss when they played away from home on Saturday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Wednesday. They came out on top in a nail-biter against Ripon Christian, sneaking past 1-0. Alyssa Colston had the honor of scoring the game-winner for the Yellowjackets.

Meanwhile, it was a proper cat-fight when Escalon faced off against Sonora on Wednesday. Escalon might have been a little too into the holiday spirit, gifting Sonora an easy 5-0 victory. The Cougars have struggled against the Wildcats recently, as the game was their fourth consecutive lost matchup.

Hilmar has been performing well recently as they've won four of their last five contests, which provided a nice bump to their 8-3-1 record this season. The wins came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they scored 17 goals over those five matches. As for Escalon, their defeat dropped their record down to 2-2-3.

Hilmar skirted past Escalon 2-1 in their previous meeting back in January. Will Hilmar repeat their success, or does Escalon have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.