On Monday, April 1, both Highlander soccer teams traveled to take on the Green Forest Tigers. In the girls’ game, Green Forest ended the first half with a 4-0 lead, and eventually ended the game 5-0. Mackenzie Meyer, goalie and senior, had a good game, but eventually shots went through. The Highlander girls communicated much better in the second half and only allowed one goal.
The boys’ game started out the same as the girls’ with the first half ending in a 4-0 score for Green Forest. The second half picked up as the boys’ Highlander team played with the same pace and precision as the Green Forest Tigers. Only two more goals were scored on the Highlanders and near the end of the game Zack Nelson scored a goal for the boys, raising their spirits. The game ended with the final score 6-1. After the game, sophomore goalie Preston Hyatt said, “Green Forest is an exceptional team and I’m happy with our performance.”
On Thursday, April 4, the boys’ and girls’ Highlanders traveled to Decatur to take on the Decatur Bulldogs. The girls’ game started off with an early goal by Ana Tapia. Grayson Ertel followed this goal with another four goals, to end the game 5-0 for the Highlanders.
The girls’ defense held up very well against Decatur despite the wet and muddy field. This was the Highlander girls’ first conference victory of the year. When asked about the game, senior goalie Mackenzie Meyer said, “Eureka played very well, despite Decatur’s aggressiveness. We stuck with it, and in the end, we got the win, I’m really proud of our girls.”
The boys’ game began with two early goals scored by Decatur. Eureka came back before half time and scored one, making the game 2-1 at half. During the second half, the Highlander defense committed an error which resulted in an own goal. This left the game 3-1, and the Highlanders couldn’t recover from their two-point deficit.
The Highlanders’ next game will be Thursday, April 11, at Bergman. Come out and support our boys’ and girls’ soccer teams, as they take on the Bergman Panthers! Go Highlanders!