Soccer Game Preview: Benicia vs. Concord

The Benicia Panthers will head out to challenge the Concord Bears at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday. Neither squad made it on the board the last time they hit the pitch, so they've probably got a bit of extra motivation.

Benicia is probably headed into the contest with a chip on their shoulder considering Ygnacio Valley just ended the team's three-match winning streak on Tuesday. They came up short against Wolves, falling 5-1. Benicia were in a tough position after the first half, with the score already sitting at 4-0.

Their goal came courtesy of Emanuel Hernandez, which was the first he's scored this season.

Meanwhile, there was early excitement for Concord after they claimed the first goal on Tuesday, however, they wouldn't score again. They fell just short of Miramonte by a score of 2-1. While losing is never fun, Concord can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' California soccer rankings (they are ranked 803rd, while Miramonte are ranked 257th).

The defeat was their first at home, dropping their record down to 9-6-2. As for Concord, their loss dropped their record down to 4-9-4.

Benicia beat Concord 4-2 in their previous meeting back in January. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Panthers since the team won't have the home-pitch advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.