Soccer Game Preview: St. John Paul II vs. Marianna

St. John Paul II and Marianna are an even 3-3 against one another since November of 2016, but likely not for long. The St. John Paul II Panthers will square off against the Marianna Bulldogs at 5:00 p.m. on Thursday. St. John Paul II'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.

St. John Paul II fell victim to Wakulla and their airtight defense on Monday. They came up short against the War Eagles, falling 3-0. That's two games in a row now that the Panthers have lost by exactly three goals.

Meanwhile, Marianna kept a clean sheet against Franklin County on Wednesday. They walked away with a 2-0 win over the Seahawks.

Marianna's victory bumped their record up to 7-9-1. As for St. John Paul II, they now have a losing record at 6-7.

St. John Paul II took their win against Marianna when the teams last played back in November of 2024 by a conclusive 5-2. The rematch might be a little tougher for St. John Paul II since the squad won't have the home-pitch advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.