Soccer Game Preview: West Rutland vs. Mt. St. Joseph Academy

West Rutland and Mt. St. Joseph Academy are an even 5-5 against one another since October of 2019, but likely not for long. The Golden Horde will square off against the Green Wave at 4:00 p.m. on Friday. West Rutland's last three contests have been decided by no more than a goal, so don't be surprised if it's a close one.

West Rutland is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of Vermont's top teams: Arlington Memorial, who was ranked 11th at the time (West Rutland was ranked 19th). The Golden Horde won by a goal and slipped past the Eagles 1-0. That's two games straight that West Rutland have won by just one goal.

Meanwhile, Mt. St. Joseph Academy didn't have quite enough to beat Leland & Gray on Monday and fell 4-3.

West Rutland has been performing well recently as they've won three of their last four matchups. That's provided a nice bump to their 8-4 record this season. Those wins came thanks in part to their defensive effort, having only given up one goal over those four matches. As for Mt. St. Joseph Academy, their loss dropped their record down to 2-8.

West Rutland skirted past Mt. St. Joseph Academy 3-2 when the teams last played back in September. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Golden Horde since the team won't have the home-pitch advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.