Soccer Game Preview: St. Paul vs. Paraclete

The St. Paul Swordsmen will face off against the Paraclete Spirits at 5:00 p.m. on Friday. St. Paul's last three matchups have been decided by no more than a goal, so don't be surprised if it's a close one.

St. Paul gave up the first goal on Wednesday, but they didn't let that get them down. They narrowly escaped with a victory as the squad sidled past Verbum Dei Jesuit 2-1. That's two games straight that the Swordsmen have won by just one goal.

Meanwhile, Wednesday just wasn't the day for Paraclete's offense. They lost 7-0 to Bishop Montgomery on Wednesday. While losing is never fun, the Spirits can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' California soccer rankings (they are ranked 844th, while the Knights are ranked 259th).

St. Paul is on a roll lately: they've won five of their last six contests, which provided a massive bump to their 9-8-1 record this season. Those victories came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they scored 16 goals over those six games. As for Paraclete, their loss dropped their record down to 2-4-1.

St. Paul was able to grind out a solid win over Paraclete in their previous matchup last Monday, winning 2-0. Does St. Paul have another victory up their sleeve, or will Paraclete turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.