Soccer Game Preview: Rickover Naval vs. Von Steuben

The Rickover Naval Seadragons will challenge the Von Steuben Panthers at 4:30 p.m. on Monday. Rickover Naval has given up an average of 3.4 goals per game this season, but Monday's game will give them a chance to turn things around.

Rickover Naval is likely headed into the match with a focus on the second half, which is when things went downhill against Francis W. Parker on Thursday. The Seadragons came up short against the Colonels, falling 6-1. Rickover Naval have struggled against Francis W. Parker recently, as the game was their fourth consecutive lost matchup.

Meanwhile, Von Steuben kept a clean sheet against North Grand on Friday. They put the hurt on the Eagle Owls with a sharp 3-0 victory. Given Von Steuben's advantage in MaxPreps' Illinois soccer rankings (they are ranked 129th, while North Grand are ranked 371st) , the win wasn't entirely unexpected.

The win made it two in a row for Von Steuben and bumps their season record up to 8-6-1. The victories came thanks in part to their defensive effort, having only given up zero goals over those two contests. As for Rickover Naval, their defeat dropped their record down to 3-8.

Rickover Naval suffered a grim 5-1 defeat to Von Steuben in their previous matchup on September 10th. Can the Seadragons avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.