Soccer Game Preview: Providence vs. Independence

The Providence Panthers will head out to take on the Independence Patriots at 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (Providence has three straight wins, Independence has three straight defeats), but none of that matters once you're on the pitch.

While Providence's victory against Hopewell wasn't quite the blowout it was the last time the pair played, they still came out on top. The Panthers had just enough and edged out the Titans 2-1. Providence's winning goal came courtesy of Payton Dragone.

Meanwhile, Independence fell victim to Charlotte Catholic and their airtight defense on Tuesday. They came up short against the Cougars, falling 9-0. While losing is never fun, Independence can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' North Carolina soccer rankings (they are ranked 284th, while Charlotte Catholic are ranked second).

Providence's win was their eighth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 10-5. Those home victories came thanks in part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they scored 37 goals over those eight matches. As for Independence, their loss dropped their record down to 2-7.

Providence took their win against Independence in their previous meeting back in March by a conclusive 6-1 score. In that contest, the Panthers amassed a halftime lead of 3-0, an impressive feat they'll look to repeat on Tuesday.