Soccer Game Preview: Umatilla vs. Crooms Academy

The Umatilla Bulldogs will challenge the Crooms Academy Panthers at 6:00 p.m. on Wednesday. The teams are rolling into the game with opposing streaks: Umatilla has struggled recently with three losses in a row, while Crooms Academy will arrive with three straight wins.

Friday just wasn't the day for Umatilla's offense. They lost 4-0 to Atlantic on Friday.

Meanwhile, it was a proper cat-fight when Crooms Academy duked it out withMerritt Island Christian on Friday. Crooms Academy came out on top against Merritt Island Christian by a score of 3-1. The score was all tied up 1-1 at the break, but the Panthers were the better team in the second half.

Caleb Rodriguez Diaz and Deniz Istifli scored all three of Crooms Academy's goals, bringing their combined season tally to ten goals.

Crooms Academy's victory was their fifth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 6-10. The wins came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they scored 23 goals over those five matches. As for Umatilla, their defeat dropped their record down to 4-15-1.

Umatilla beat Crooms Academy 2-0 when the teams last played back in December of 2024. The rematch might be a little tougher for Umatilla since the squad won't have the home-pitch advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.