Soccer Game Preview: Hillcrest vs. Eastside

The Hillcrest Rams will head out to square off against the Eastside Eagles at 6:00 p.m. on Saturday. Both teams beat their previous opponents by a single goal, so this matchup might be just as contested.

Hillcrest is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Wednesday. They narrowly escaped with a victory as the squad sidled past Fort Mill 2-1. Anthony Grudko had the honor of scoring the game-winner for Hillcrest.

Something new happened on Wednesday as Grudko saw his first action of the season, playing 40 minutes against Fort Mill. Grudko made the most of the opportunity, scoring a goal and one steal A few more games like that and he might be seeing even more time going forward.

Meanwhile, it was close, but on Thursday Eastside sidestepped James F. Byrnes for a 2-1 win. Eastside haven't had any issues with James F. Byrnes recently, as the game was their third consecutive victory against them.

The win made it two in a row for Hillcrest and bumps their season record up to 9-13. As for Eastside, their victory bumped their record up to 13-5.

Hillcrest skirted past Eastside 2-1 in their previous matchup back in March of 2024. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Rams since the team won't have the home-pitch advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.