Greene County hosts Humboldt today and tonight in a girl/boy high school varsity soccer twin bill. The matches are the first ever for Greene County High School. KG98 will broadcast both matches with the girls playing at 4:30 p.m. and the boys to follow. The matches will also be streamed on www.raccoonvalleyradio.com. Humboldt went 4-11 in girls’ soccer and 8-9 on the boys’ side in 2017.

Boys’ head coach Carl Behne talked about the excitement caused by the Rams having their own soccer programs. “I’m extremely excited and I know the players are, too. I’m proud to be part of the inaugural season. You’ve seen an enthusiasm among the players, coaches, and our communities. There’s a desire to win and a belief that we can win. There’s a desire to show people that soccer should have been here a while ago, but now that it is, we’re happy, we’re appreciative, and we’re going to take full advantage of it.”

Girls’ head coach Marilyn Tasler talked with Raccoon Valley Radio about some of the more common situations in high school soccer that those not accustomed to the game might see. “Probably the biggest thing is offsides, and that is really, really, difficult to explain. The short version is that you cannot be on offense and receive the ball behind the defender of the opposing team, and the goalie.” She added, “Hand ball is another one. If the ball is kicked to you and it accidentally hits your hand, and there’s no advantage, it’s not a hand ball. A lot of people get upset about that.”

Several of the Greene County girls were on the Boone varsity last season under an athletic sharing agreement. Just one Greene County boy played for Boone that is on this Greene County team, but several foreign exchange students, and those that played 15 and under soccer last season, are familiar with the game.