By Kyle Daubs

Josh Garrett is hopeful for a little more intensity. 

Mattoon roundly defeated Charleston, 7-0, in the first match-up. With the two teams scheduled to meet tonight in Mattoon, the Charleston coach is hopeful that the Trojans can bring more energy for a full game. 

“Once Mattoon got their fourth goal, the wheels kind of came off for us,” said Garrett. “The effort wasn’t the same and they got their last goals without having to work very hard for them. We’ll focus on keeping intensity throughout the game this time.”

Charleston enters the contest 4-5-3 overall and 1-4-1 in the Apollo Conference. Freshman, Ella Garrett, has scored eight of the team’s goals this season. 

Mattoon brings a 9-3 overall record and 4-2 mark in the Apollo. They are coming off a 5-0 win over Mount Zion and an 8-1 win over Judah Christian. A win can keep Mattoon near the top of the Apollo rankings while a win for Charleston would give their inexperienced squad a vote of confidence. 

“Our team’s understanding of the game has certainly improved,” said Garrett. “We have so many players who are new to the game that it’s taken a bit, but we are coming along.”