Soccer Game Preview: Johnstown-Monroe vs. Northridge

The Johnstown-Monroe Johnnies will take on the Northridge Vikings at 7:15 p.m. on Thursday. Both teams beat their previous opponents by a single goal, so this matchup might be just as contested.

On Monday, Johnstown-Monroe narrowly escaped with a victory as the team sidled past Highland 3-2.

Meanwhile, Northridge came tearing into Monday's contest with three straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 3 goals), and they left with even more momentum. They came within a single goal of losing the streak, but they secured a 2-1 W against the Warriors. The win was all the more spectacular given Northridge's disadvantage in MaxPreps' Ohio soccer rankings (they are ranked 281st, while Watkins Memorial are ranked 111th).

Johnstown-Monroe now has a winning record of 8-7-1. As for Northridge, their victory bumped their record up to 8-5-2.

Johnstown-Monroe came out on top in a nail-biter against Northridge in their previous matchup back in October of 2024, sneaking past 2-1. Will the Johnnies repeat their success, or do the Vikings have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.