Soccer Game Preview: Nettleton vs. Marion

The Nettleton Raiders will take on the Marion Patriots at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday. Nettleton's offense has struggled lately (the team hasn't scored more than a single goal for four straight games), a trend the team is no doubt ready to end.

Nettleton came up short against Valley View on Tuesday, falling 5-1. Things were pretty much settled by the half as Nettleton were already down 3-0.

Their goal came courtesy of Hutch Bristow, who's now up to five this season.

Meanwhile, Tuesday just wasn't the day for Marion's offense. They lost 10-0 to Searcy on Tuesday. While losing is never fun, Marion can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Arkansas soccer rankings (they are ranked 93rd, while Searcy are ranked 25th).

Marion's loss was their sixth straight at home, which dropped their record down to 1-11-1. As for Nettleton, their defeat dropped their record down to 3-7-2.

Nettleton beat Marion 2-0 in their previous matchup back in March. Will the Raiders repeat their success, or do the Patriots have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.