Soccer Game Preview: West Ottawa vs. Zeeland West

The West Ottawa Panthers will head out to take on the Zeeland West Dux at 11:45 a.m. on Saturday. West Ottawa's offense has struggled lately (the team hasn't scored more than a single goal for three straight games), a trend the team is no doubt ready to end.

West Ottawa fell victim to Rockford and their airtight defense on Thursday. They lost 3-0 to the Rams. While losing is never fun, West Ottawa can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Michigan soccer rankings (they are ranked 123rd, while Rockford are ranked eighth).

Meanwhile, Zeeland West entered their match against Unity Christian on Wednesday without any home losses, but there's a first time for everything. The Dux came up short against the Crusaders, falling 6-1.

The loss was their first at home , dropping their record down to 4-4-3. As for West Ottawa, their defeat dropped their record down to 4-9-3.

West Ottawa beat Zeeland West by a goal in their previous matchup back in April of 2024, winning 2-1. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Panthers since the squad won't have the home-pitch advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.