Senior Night Game a Must Win for Wildcats to Enter Playoffs

The playoff outlook for the Wildcats’ soccer team is very simple as they close district play by hosting Hallsville on Senior Night Tuesday night at The Prim: the winner is in the playoffs as the district’s fourth seed and the losing team is done for the season. Both teams have 5-6 district records and 15 points.

The Wildcats got a boost recently when Marshall defeated Hallsville. This will be the third year in a row where it comes down to the Wildcats and Hallsville for a playoff spot. The past two years the games has been at Hallsville. The Wildcats won both of those. Hallsville defeated the Wildcats, 2-1 in Hallsville earlier this season.

The Wildcats are coming off of a tough week where they lost to the district’s top two teams, Mount Pleasant and Greenville. The Lions defeated the Wildcats in Greenville, 4-1 Friday night. The Lions scored in the first minute of the contest. To the Wildcats’ credit, they fought right back and tied the match at 1-1. Wildcats Coach Nicky Wiggins, on KSST Radio and Cable Channel 18’s Saturday Morning Coaches Show, said the Wildcats’ goal was a well executed play. It started with midfielder Isaac Gutierrez who passed to D.J. Abron. Abron crossed the ball perfectly so that Eduardo Ramirez could put the ball in the net. Another Wildcat highlight in the game was a keeper save on a penalty kick. Goalkeeper Jonathan Lopez made the save on a penalty kick by a Lions’ player. Eventually Greenville scored a second goal before halftime and added two more in the second half. Coach Wiggins said all the goal occurred after turnovers in bad places on the field that Greenville took advantage of.

Coach Wiggins said he hopes his players learn from the mistakes made in a loss. He said he is looking forward to facing Hallsville on Senior Night at Prim Stadium with everything on the line. Lovejoy is the probably bi-district opponent for the winner. The Wildcats will recognize 14 seniors Tuesday night.

Author: Staff Reporter

Share This Post On