The Midway Raiders soccer team suffered a frustrating defeat last Wednesday night, falling 4-1 to James Kenan in a matchup that left fans and players, alike, disappointed.
Although the Raiders had previously beaten the Tigers earlier in the season, they couldn’t replicate that success on their home pitch. This time, James Kenan’s offense proved too much to handle, and Midway struggled to find their rhythm throughout the game. The end result was a disappointing loss that saw the Raiders slide down the ranks of the Swine Valley 2A/3A Conference standings.
From the opening whistle, James Kenan set the tone as the more aggressive team, applying constant pressure and keeping possession deep in Midway territory. The Raiders struggled to clear the ball and failed to consistently flip the field, spending much of the first half on the defensive. With limited opportunities to push forward, Midway found it difficult to build any offensive momentum against the Tigers’ relentless attack. This sustained pressure set the stage for James Kenan to break through with three first-half goals, putting the Raiders in a deep hole by halftime. The early offensive surge gave the Tigers control of the match and left Midway scrambling to respond.
The first two goals for James Kenan came nearly consecutively around the midway point of the first half. They tallied their first goal at the 19:36 mark, going up 1-0. Then, just a few minutes later, they hit again to stretch their lead to two goals at 2-0 with 15:28 still to play in the first.
The Raiders managed a smattering of opportunities throughout the first half — including a penalty kick — but nothing seemed to go their way. Missed chances and simply bad luck really pestered Midway and they couldn’t capitalize when it mattered most, allowing James Kenan to maintain control and momentum. The Raiders did manage to block a PK from the Tigers at the 8:50 mark of the first half, but they still tacked on one more goal with 1:44 left in the half to stake their 3-0 lead at intermission.
The teams traded goals in the second half, but James Kenan never allowed Midway to gain any real ground. Each time the Raiders showed signs of life, the Tigers answered right back, keeping a comfortable cushion and firmly shutting the door on any hopes of a comeback. Max Florido got Midway’s only goal, netting a penalty kick with 16:39 left in the game. Outside of that, this one was a contest dominated by James Kenan as the Raiders suffered the setback, 4-1.
With the loss, Midway is now 12-5-1 overall and 5-4 in conference play. That mark has them tied with the Tigers in third place and effectively ending their chances of catching up to first place Wallace-Rose Hill, who is 8-0 in league play, or Spring Creek, who is 6-2.
The Raiders faced Wallace-Rose Hill away on Monday. A loss would drop them into fourth place in the conference behind James Kenan. After that, Midway will host Rosewood on Wednesday. Game time is set for 6 p.m.