Soccer Game Preview: Riverdale vs. Gulf Coast

The Riverdale Raiders will square off against the Gulf Coast Sharks at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday. Both have had a bumpy ride up to this point with four consecutive losses for Riverdale and seven for Gulf Coast.

Riverdale came up short against North Fort Myers on Tuesday, falling 7-2. The Raiders were in a tough position after the first half, with the score already sitting at 4-0.

Natalie Grant wasn't going to let North Fort Myers walk away unscathed as she scored both of Riverdale's goals, bringing her season total up to 15 goals.

Meanwhile, Gulf Coast fell victim to Estero and their airtight defense on Tuesday. They took a 2-0 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Wildcats. While losing is never fun, the Sharks can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Florida soccer rankings (they are ranked 309th, while the Wildcats are ranked 108th).

Gulf Coast's defeat dropped their record down to 3-12-1. As for Riverdale, their loss dropped their record down to 5-8-2.

Riverdale took their win against Gulf Coast in their previous meeting back in January of 2024 by a conclusive 4-0. Does Riverdale have another victory up their sleeve, or will Gulf Coast turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.