Soccer Game Preview: Madison Central vs. Starkville

The Madison Central Jaguars are taking a road trip to square off against the Starkville Yellowjackets at 7:15 p.m. on Thursday. Madison Central's last five matches have been decided by no more than a goal, so don't be surprised if it's a close one.

Madison Central is likely headed into the contest with a focus on the second half, which is when things went downhill against Tupelo on Saturday. Madison Central fell just short of Tupelo by a score of 2-1.

Meanwhile, after failing to score in their last game, Starkville made sure to put some goals up on the board against Kosciusko on Tuesday. They put the hurt on the Whippets with a sharp 6-2 win. Given the Yellowjackets' advantage in MaxPreps' Mississippi soccer rankings (they are ranked ninth, while the Whippets are ranked 92nd), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

The victory made it two in a row for Starkville and bumps their season record up to 12-2. As for Madison Central, their loss dropped their record down to 2-2-1.

Madison Central was able to grind out a solid win over Starkville in their previous meeting back in January, winning 2-0. Will Madison Central repeat their success, or does Starkville have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.