The Zizzers made their first ever trip to Branson to play soccer on Friday night and came away with a 2-0 victory. The field was in excellent shape and the PA announcer did a good job of keeping the fans informed about what was happening. West Plains controlled much of the play early on, showing their best ball possession of the season. The Zizzers showed some patience and spread the ball around while creating some good scoring opportunities. It paid off in the 24th minute as Jesse Wright sent a pass to Nathan Moore in the middle of the field. Moore fired a shot from about 25 yards out inside the far post for a 1-0 Zizzer lead.
In the second half, the Zizzers continued their good play. Branson stepped up their play, but West Plains was able to keep them off the scoreboard with good teamwork and aggressive play by Keeper Anthony Holt (pictured against Logan-Rogersville). Thirteen minutes into the second half, a ball was played into the box. After about three Zizzer shots were blocked by the Pirate defense, Brodie Bender found the loose ball and sent it into the net from 8 yards out for his first Varsity Goal and a 2-0 Zizzer lead. The Pirates made a late push to cut into the Zizzer lead, but West Plains held on for the shutout. Great performance boys! The two-game winning streak improves the Zizzer record to 4-8-0 on the season.
In JV action, West Plains struggled to get going early. Lack of communication and teamwork led to some quick goals for the Pirates. Branson scored 5 goals in the first 9 minutes of play and then added one more before the half. The Zizzers played better in spurts in the second half and Branson added 3 more goals for a final score of 9-0.
Up next for both teams are games at Home Tuesday against State Ranked Glendale. The Falcons are 9-0 (through Friday night) and ranked #9 in the State in Class 3. Come out and support the Zizzers on Tuesday.
