After a loss to the D’Iberville Warriors on Nov. 9, the Picayune Maroon Tide boys soccer team has since won three straight matches. Picayune has gone on to beat the Pass Christian Pirates, and the Poplarville Hornets, 1-0, before dominating the Hattiesburg Tigers on Nov. 19, with a final score of 4-0.

“After the loss against D’Iberville I sat down with my staff and really took a look at what we weren’t doing successfully and how we needed to change,” said Head Soccer Coach Brandon Butler.
“In the end we moved people around and so far it seems to have benefited our defense drastically which in turn has helped our offense become more confident and it’s leading us to shooting and scoring more,” Butler said.
Butler and the Maroon Tide coaching staff also implemented new training tactics during practices to help the Maroon Tide’s athletes view the game and team’s issues in a different light.

“I try to implement fun kid like games at the start of our sessions for two reasons.
One, to get the boys to understand the concept we’re trying to touch on at an easier level, and second, just to put the boys in a better mood coming into the training sessions,” said Butler.
The recent stats have proven that the Maroon Tide has been improving and gaining confidence on offense.
Picayune scored a season high of four goals in the win against the Hattiesburg Tigers. Justin Archega scored two goals, one being a free kick, Paco Cruz also found the net for a score, and freshmen Mason Ripoll scored his first goal of the season against the Tigers.
Senior Nicolas Walerious, who suffered and minor injury during the Nov. 9 match against D’Iberville, has bounced back for the Maroon Tide.

“His recovery is going well, he’s played every match for us this season and has showed his versatility as a player,” said Butler.
Next for the Maroon Tide (4-3-1) will be an on-the-road matchup against the Long Beach Bearcats (5-1-1) Dec. 7 at 7 p.m.

“So far, over our last three contest, we have produced great results and hopefully we can continue to grow,” said Butler.