Hornets Lose Tough One to SoBoCo

The Fulton Hornets lost a frustrating match to the SoBoCo Eagles on a rain-soaked field in Ashland on Wednesday night. Despite their enjoying the majority of possession and creating numerous chances to score, it was the Eagles who came away with the victory with a goal against the run of play.

Despite the loss, it was a better performance for the Hornets as they seem to have recovered their soccer skills (and brains) after a dismal outing Tuesday night in Jefferson City. The Hornets managed the narrow field (played in the confines of the SoBoCo football stadium) relatively well as they were able to comfortably pass the ball around the field. Unfortunately for the Hornets, they let their guard down shortly before the end of the 1st half. In the 31st minute, the Eagles took a throw-in deep in Fulton territory. A seemingly-unconcerned Fulton defense applied little pressure and the Eagles were able to play the ball into the melee in front of the Fulton goal. The lightly marked E.C. Duckworth used his height to full advantage and headed the ball across the line.

In the second half the Fulton Hornets pressed for the equalizer, bringing Morgan Milligan from his defensive position up to forward. Despite the added scoring threat, the Hornets were unable to secure the tying goal. With the loss, the Hornets drop to 3-2.

In the Junior Varsity game, the Hornets again found themselves trailing, despite dominating possession for much of the match. When the Hornets failed to clear the ball in the second half, the Eagles found an unmarked player in the box who calmly volleyed the shot past freshman keeper Daniel Lair. However, the Hornets continued to press forward and in the dying seconds of the match junior forward Cruz Gomez proved the hero when he leveled the match from close range. The junior varsity remain undefeated with a record of 3-0-1.

The varsity team has the opportunity to return to their winning ways this Friday when they take on hosts Parkview in the Parkview Viking Invitational in Springfield. The Hornets will play two additional games on Saturday as part of the tourney.

Hornets Fall to Jefferson City Jays, 1-0

It was an anemic offensive display from the Fulton Hornets as they traveled to Jefferson City to take on the Jays. The score of 1-0 was flattering to the Hornets as the Jays dictated the action throughout the match. The Hornets struggled to maintain possession as pass after pass went awry. The result was a match played mostly in Fulton's defensive end as the Jays created numerous scoring chances.

The one bright spot for the Hornets was the play of the defense as they heroically kept the Jays off the board in the first half. In the opening minutes, defender Nick Heimericks' sliding clearance denied the Jays the early lead when he hooked away a slow roller bound for the net. The rest of the half was fairly dismal for the Hornets as the offense proved unable to surmount the Jays' defense and mount anything but a token challenge on the Jay's goal. Junior Darren Jones' half chance from the edge of the box was the only Fulton shot of the half.

In the second half the constant pressure from the Jays and continued sloppy play from the Hornets proved too much as the Jays struck for the only goal of the match. Jefferson City freshman forward Aaron Crane found himself in acres of space on the right-hand side and he made no mistake on the finish as he approached goal. His right-footed shot struck the inside of the far post and across the goal line to give the Jays a deserved 1-0 lead.

The Hornets responded by making some adjustments in the midfield to generate greater possession, but it was to no avail as the possession in the final third proved to be too elusive. While the effort from the Hornets was laudable, it was ultimately for naught as the class 3A Jays proved the superior team Tuesday night.

Fulton takes a 3-1 record to Ashland on Wednesday evening to take on the SoBoCo Eagles.