Soccer Game Preview: Mandarin vs. Fletcher

Mandarin hasn't had much luck against Fletcher recently, but that could start to change on Thursday. The Mandarin Mustangs will face off against the Fletcher Senators at 6:00 p.m. Both come into the matchup bolstered by wins in their previous matches.

Mandarin is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Tuesday. They narrowly escaped with a win as the team sidled past Oakleaf 2-1. The victory made it back-to-back wins for the Mustangs.

Isabella Rutherford and Chloe Ravenscroft scored both of Mandarin's goals, bringing their combined season tally to 17 goals.

Meanwhile, Fletcher came tearing into Tuesday's contest with eight straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 3.8 goals) and they left with even more momentum. They never let the Buccaneers onto the board and left with a 10-0 victory. Considering the Senators have won ten games by more than two goals this season, Tuesday's blowout was nothing new.

Mandarin has also been performing well recently as they've won three of their last four matchups, which provided a nice bump to their 5-10 record this season. Those victories came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they scored 13 goals over those four contests. As for Fletcher, their win bumped their record up to 14-2-1.

Mandarin came up short against Fletcher in their previous meeting back in December of 2024, falling 3-1. Can Mandarin avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.