Panther soccer bested by Bloodhounds

Mt. Pleasant soccer had a tough outing on both the boys and girls side of the card Monday night.

Both took on Southeast Conference leader Fort Madison. The boys were defeated in their match 6-0, while the girls were topped 4-3 with two extra periods.

The Bloodhound boys are undefeated in conference play, a perfect 10-0, while the girls hold a 9-1 record to lead the league.

The Panthers knew it would be a battle and they gave it all they had in both matchups.

The Mt. Pleasant boys came ready to play in their match.

Fort Madison controlled much of the pace and possession in the match, but Mt. Pleasant limited the league leaders for nearly 25 minutes.

The Bloodhounds created chance after chance, but the Panther back line stood strong.

It wasn’t until the 15:44 mark that Fort Madison got on the board.

Heading into halftime the Panthers trailed just 1-0.

Things changed in the second.

Fort Madison started off hot in the second period, rattling off a goal in the first five minutes, 35:32.

Ten minutes later, 25:26, the Bloodhounds added another to make it a 3-0 ballgame.

It was a one sided half for Fort Madison as Mt. Pleasant struggled to get the ball out of their half.

In the final 18 minutes of the game the Bloodhounds tallied three more goals to put the game out of reach, 6-0.

The boys fall to 1-13 with the loss and will take on West Branch (7-2) on Thursday at home.

The Mt. Pleasant and Fort Madison girls showed just how competitive the SEC is putting together an instant classic.

It was a game that needed two periods of extra time.

Both teams played well in the first half, but its was Mt. Pleasant with the edge at the break.

The Panthers scored twice in the first half, while limiting the SEC leaders to just one goal. Mt. Pleasant led 2-1.

In the second, the script flipped.

Both continued to trade blows, but this time around it was Fort Madison with the goal advantage. The Bloodhounds matched the Panthers first half total, but Mt. Pleasant was able to find the back of the net once making it a 3-3 game at the end of regulation.

To decide a winner, the game headed into extra time.

After the first extra period, a winner had not been decided. In the second period, it was the Bloodhounds who got the goal they needed for the win.

With the loss, Mt. Pleasant drops to 7-5 on the season. The Panthers will play West Branch (4-6) on Thursday.