Dragons gear up for showdown with Marauders
The Southlake Carroll boys soccer team will play one of its most important games of the season this coming Friday night when it hosts Flower Mound Marcus.
The Dragons and Marauders are both firmly entrenched in the playoff race at the moment, with Marcus second in the district standings and Carroll third, and both teams are very evenly matched.
So much so that they played to a draw the first time they met at Marcus High School, and coach Greg Oglesby said the importance of the game cannot be understated.
“This is a big game with Marcus,” Oglesby said. “They have a fine program and every time we play it is close. Two weeks ago it was 2-2, and it was a great high school soccer game. We have a playoff history with them as well as being in and out of their district the last 10 years.”
The Dragons knocked the Marauders out of the playoffs in 2012 in the bi-district round, winning 2-1 in a shootout to advance to the area round.
Marcus returned the favor the following year, defeating Carroll 4-3 in the regional semifinals in 2013.
Oglesby said he feels good about the level at which the team is competing as it heads into the game with Marcus, but said there is always room for improvement.
“The team is playing well,” Oglesby said. “We have a few things we need to get better at and are working on them.”
Carroll and Marcus will play at 7:30 p.m. Friday in Southlake.
Coach hits career milestone
Oglesby himself passed a major milestone earlier this year when he reached his 400th win the Carroll soccer program when the Dragons defeated Odessa Permian on Jan. 7.
In 22 seasons, the Carroll boys coach has led his various teams to 16 playoff appearances and two state championships (2001, 2011).
Oglesby said the landmark victory was special for him, and jokingly attributed his success to a couple of different factors.
“The 400th win was fun, and it’s 519 high school wins between boys and girls now,” Oglesby said. “It means I have been at it a while, had a bit of success and have been fortunate to be at a few good schools.”
This story was originally published March 2, 2017 at 3:05 PM with the headline "Dragons gear up for showdown with Marauders."