Soccer Recap: Center Comes Up Short

Center managed to keep up with West Park until halftime on Friday, but things quickly went downhill from there. The Center Cougars came up short against the West Park Panthers, falling 4-1. The loss was a bit of a surprise, as the Cougars came into the contest with a sizable advantage in MaxPreps' California soccer rankings (they are ranked 174th, while the Panthers are ranked 748th).

Cougars

Previous 5 Games

12/27/24 @ West Park	1-4
12/20/24 @ Mira Loma	3-0
12/17/24 @ Wheatland	3-2
12/12/24 vs Colfax	6-1
12/10/24 @ Oakmont	1-1

Center moved to 6-2-1 with that defeat, which also ended their three-game winning streak. As for West Park, their record now sits at 2-3-2.

Center will have a little extra prep time after the loss as they won't be playing again for a while. They'll take on Lincoln at 6:15 p.m. on January 7, 2025. Lincoln is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 2.6 goals per game this season. West Park also won't see the pitch for a while: their next game is against Grant at 6:30 p.m. on January 7, 2025. The timing is sure in Grant's favor as the team sits on three straight wins at home while West Park has been banged up by three consecutive losses on the road.