Soccer Game Preview: Sevier County vs. Jefferson County

The Sevier County Smoky Bears will square off against the Jefferson County Patriots on Thursday. The two teams each escaped with close wins against their previous opponents.

Sevier County took a five-goal loss the last time they faced off against Science Hill, but this time they managed to keep it close and that made all the difference. The Smoky Bears had just enough and edged out the Hilltoppers 4-3 on Tuesday. The victory was familiar territory for Sevier County, who have now won three matches in a row.

Meanwhile, Jefferson County kept a clean sheet against Dobyns-Bennett on Tuesday. They had just enough and edged out the Indians 1-0. The win was all the more spectacular given Jefferson County's disadvantage in MaxPreps' Tennessee soccer rankings (they are ranked 101st, while Dobyns-Bennett are ranked 35th).

Sevier County's victory was their sixth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 13-2-2. Those home wins came thanks in part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they scored 29 goals over those six contests. As for Jefferson County, their victory ended a three-game drought on the road and puts them at 9-8-2.

Everything went Sevier County's way against Jefferson County in their previous meeting on Thursday, as Sevier County made off with a 4-1 win. Will the Smoky Bears repeat their success, or do the Patriots have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.