Soccer Game Preview: Staunton vs. Carlinville

Staunton hasn't had much luck against Carlinville recently, but that could start to change on Thursday. The Bulldogs will host the Cavaliers at 5:00 p.m. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.

Staunton's defense heads into the matchup hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Wednesday. They were the clear victors by a 9-0 margin over Southwestern. The final result isn't all the surprising considering Staunton's considerable advantage in MaxPreps' Illinois soccer rankings (they are ranked 60th, while Southwestern are ranked 346th).

Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Carlinville, who bounced back after a loss on the road on Friday. They put the hurt on Southwestern with a sharp 7-0 victory on Monday. The high-flying offensive performance was a huge turnaround for Carlinville considering their one-goal performance the game before.

Staunton's win was their seventh straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 12-1. Those road victories came thanks in part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they scored 46 goals over those seven contests. As for Carlinville, they are on a roll lately: they've won three of their last four matchups. That's provided a nice bump to their 9-4 record this season.

Staunton was able to grind out a solid win over Carlinville when the teams last played back in May of 2024, winning 2-0. Do the Bulldogs have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Cavaliers turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.