Soccer Game Preview: Elgin vs. Proviso West

The Elgin Maroons will face off against the Proviso West Panthers at 5:00 p.m. on Thursday. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (Elgin has eight straight wins, Proviso West has seven straight losses), but none of that matters once you're on the pitch.

Elgin's defense heads into the matchup hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Tuesday. They were the clear victors by a 3-0 margin over Streamwood. The result was nothing new for Elgin, who have now won seven contests by three goals or more so far this season.

Meanwhile, Proviso West fell victim to Downers Grove North and their airtight defense on Tuesday. They lost 8-0 to the Trojans. While losing is never fun, Proviso West can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Illinois soccer rankings (they are ranked 349th, while Downers Grove North are ranked 119th).

Elgin pushed their record up to 12-0-1 with the victory, which was their sixth straight at home. Those home wins came thanks in part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they scored 29 goals over those six games. As for Proviso West, their defeat dropped their record down to 1-9-1.