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On Monday, Jan. 30, the soccer teams for Columbus and Rice competed on Rice’s home field for a district matchup between the rival schools. Conditions were difficult as the cold and misty winds made sub-40 degree weather feel even colder. However, it was Columbus that claimed the advantage as both the girls and the boys claimed 3-0 victories over their county counterparts.
The girls were up first in the district double-header, and things started off quickly for the Lady Cards. They were able to apply consistent pressure on the Lady Raiders’ back line as they used their speed down the wings to create advantages. Columbus scored three first half goals as they ran out to an early lead and held Rice scoreless.
The Lady Raiders had much more success on the defensive end in the second half. They were able to draw many offside calls to slow down the Lady Cards’ forward push. The teams played each other evenly in the second half as neither could convert on any of the scoring chances created. However, the damage had already been done as Rice could not find a way to cut into the lead.
The boys had somewhat of an opposite game compared the girls. The first half was tight and hotly contested between the Raiders and the Cards. Columbus scored on an early goal to take a 1-0 lead into halftime after a highly defensive battle for the rest of the half. The second half started with a defensive tone as well. Neither team could sustain their pressure enough to get a goal until there was less than 10 minutes remaining in the match. With the score still at 1-0, the Cards’ Tomas Elias tore down the wing toward the goal and scored a difficult shot into the bottom corner of the net. Not long after, he repeated his feat with a second goal in a similar fashion for the brace. The Raiders were able to get some shot attempts towards the opposing goalkeeper, but they could not strike home any of their shots to break the clean sheet.
