The Oaks Christian Lions will head out to square off against the Santiago Sharks at 5:00 p.m. on Thursday. Neither squad made it on the board the last time they hit the pitch, so they've probably got a bit of extra motivation.
Oaks Christian is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Tuesday. While the 1-1 score might suggest a draw, it was Oaks Christian who was credited with the win. Oaks Christian got it done in the shootout by posting four goals to Liberty's two.
Santiago is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of California's top teams: Mater Dei, who was ranked fifth at the time (Santiago was ranked tenth). Santiago won by a goal and slipped past Mater Dei 1-0. The Sharks haven't had any issues with the Monarchs recently, as the game was their fourth consecutive victory against them.
Oaks Christian pushed their record up to 24-2 with the win, which was their tenth straight on the road. The wins came thanks in part to their defensive effort, having only given up four goals over those ten matches. As for Santiago, their victory bumped their record up to 22-3.
Oaks Christian beat Santiago 4-2 in their previous meeting back in February of 2023. The rematch might be a little tougher for Oaks Christian since the team won't have the home-pitch advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
