Soccer Game Preview: Nation Ford vs. Catawba Ridge

The Nation Ford Falcons will venture away from home to square off against the Catawba Ridge Copperheads at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday. Both teams are coming into the match red-hot, with Nation Ford sitting on 13 straight victories and Catawba Ridge on three.

Nation Ford had to skate by with only a one-goal margin when they last took the pitch, which might have inspired the three-goal drubbing they dealt Rock Hill on Tuesday. The Falcons' defense stepped up to hand the Bearcats a 3-0 shutout. Considering Nation Ford have won 13 games by more than two goals this season, Tuesday's blowout was nothing new.

Sophia Banzon and Eberlee Bolduc scored all three of Nation Ford's goals, bringing their combined season tally to 20 goals.

Meanwhile, Catawba Ridge made easy work of Indian Land on Tuesday and carried off a 5-1 win. With Catawba Ridge ahead 3-0 at the half, the contest was all but over already.

Nation Ford's victory was their eighth straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 16-2-1. The road wins came thanks in part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they scored 32 goals over those eight matches. As for Catawba Ridge, their victory bumped their record up to 14-4.

Nation Ford beat Catawba Ridge 2-0 when the teams last played back in March. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Falcons since the team won't have the home-pitch advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.