Soccer Game Preview: Chatham vs. Nelson County

Chatham hasn't had much luck against Nelson County recently, but that could start to change on Friday. The Cavaliers will square off against the Governors at 5:30 p.m.

Wednesday just wasn't the day for Chatham's offense. They came up short against Appomattox County on Wednesday, falling 4-0. While losing is never fun, Chatham can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Virginia soccer rankings (they are ranked 250th, while Appomattox County are ranked 120th).

For whatever reason, it's the away team that's had the advantage when Nelson County and James River meet (two straight games heading into this one) and that held true again on Wednesday. The Governors' defense stepped up to hand the Knights a 6-0 shutout. The result was nothing new for Nelson County, who have now won eight matchups by three goals or more so far this season.

Nelson County is on a roll lately: they've won six of their last seven matches. That's provided a nice bump to their 9-2-2 record this season. The wins came thanks in part to their defensive effort, having only given up two goals over those seven contests. As for Chatham, their loss dropped their record down to 4-9-1.

Chatham might still be hurting after the 5-0 defeat they got from Nelson County when the teams last played back in April. Can the Cavaliers avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.