Soccer Game Preview: Atwater vs. Merced + Official Tickets

The Atwater Falcons will head out to challenge the Merced Bears at 5:45 p.m. on Friday. Neither squad made it on the board the last time they hit the pitch, so they've probably got a bit of extra motivation.

Wednesday just wasn't the day for Atwater's offense. They fell just short of Los Banos by a score of 1-0 on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, Merced hadn't done well against Golden Valley recently (they were 0-7-2 in their previous nine matchups), but they didn't let the past get in their way on Wednesday. The Bears won by a goal and slipped past the Cougars 1-0. The victory was a breath of fresh air for Merced as it put an end to their three-match losing streak.

Atwater has traveled a rocky road recently, having lost three of their last four matchups. That's put a noticeable dent in their 4-7-1 record this season. As for Merced, their win was their first in the league, bumping their league record up to 1-4-1 and their overall record up to 4-9-2.

Atwater beat Merced by a goal when the teams last played on January 14th, winning 1-0. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Falcons since the team won't have the home-pitch advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.