OHSAA soccer scores | Hudson vs. Jackson high school boys soccer recap

JACKSON TWP. — The Jackson boys soccer team has had Hudson's number in the recent history between the rivals. The Explorers gained a measure of revenge on Saturday. A goal off a shot by Parker Mainar that ricocheted off the post and bounced into the back of the Polar Bear goal with 15 minutes to play ended up being the difference in a 2-1 for Hudson.

"This is a game we have circled on our calendar every year," Hudson head coach Steve Knapp said. "We consider this to be one of our biggest rivals and we've had a tough time against them as of late. I think this was big for us to come out tonight and find a way to get over the hump against them."

It was the second victory over a Federal League power in less than a week for Hudson (3-0). The Explorers knocked off defending district champion Hoover 5-1 on Tuesday.

"We have a good group of kids this year," Knapp said. "It's a veteran team with a lot of juniors and seniors that have played meaningful minutes over the past couple of years. I think this is a year where everybody is expecting big things out of us."

For a while, it looked as though Saturday's game may be headed for a draw. Lewis Cook scored with 15:07 left to play to make it a 1-1 game down the stretch for Jackson off an assist by Shane Atkinson.

"We kept playing," Jackson head coach Michael Biros said. "We probably played our best 10 to 15 minute stretch of soccer of the night leading up to that goal. That's one of those sequences that we hope we can build off of in the coming weeks."

Jackson found themselves down after a yellow card was called on its starting goalkeeper after he charged out of the box and collided with a Hudson attacker with under a minute to go in the first half. The Explorers were awarded a penalty kick. Sam Robledo converted on the opportunity with just 51.2 seconds left in the first half.

"It was a tough," Biros said. "I understand it. If we were in Hudson's position we obviously would have been asking for that call as well. The determination was that Hudson got to the ball first and that led to the penalty."

Still, the season is early and Jackson also has high hopes for the 2024 campaign.

"We learned a lot tonight," Biros said. "This was a quality early season matchup. There are some things we need to improve on. They were really good on the ball. We were sloppy in that area a lot of times tonight. We feel like we have a lot to build on, though. It just may take a little time to figure out what is going to make us click."

Here's how the game unfolded through our live updates.

Hudson holds on for win over Jackson

Hudson held off a furious Jackson rally attempt in the final five minutes to win 2-1. The Explorers had their goalkeeper called for a yellow card, leading to a free kick for the Polar Bears from 15 yards out with five minutes to play. Jackson had another free kick a minute later from 30 yards out. The Polar Bears had a final free kick from 40 yards out in the final 10 seconds butHudson was able to stave off that opportunity as well.

Hudson retakes lead against Jackson

Hudson senior captain Parker Maniar has given the Explorers the lead once again with 10:14 to play. Maniar fired a shot past the diving Jackson goalkeeper that hit the far post and ricocheted into the net for the goal. Maniar ran down the sideline shushing the Polar Bear crowd after the score. Hudson now leads 2-1.

Jackson scores to draw even with Hudson in second half

Jackson has tied things up with Hudson at Rick Neitzelt Stadium with 15:07 to play. Lewis Cook delivered a goal from 10 yards out after a beautiful pass from Shane Atkinson. The Polar Bears and Hudson are now tied 1-1 as time winds down in the game.

Hudson maintains lead midway through second half

Hudson continues to hold on to a 1-0 lead over Jackson with 20 minutes remaining in the contest.

Second half underway

The second half of the Hudson at Jackson boys soccer game is underway. The Explorers lead the Polar Bears 1-0.

Hudson takes lead just before halftime

A late penalty gave Hudson a 1-0 lead over Jackson with just 51.2 seconds left in the half. The Polar Bear goalkeeper was given a yellow card after coming out of the box and colliding with a Hudson attacker. Sam Robledo stepped in and made the penalty kick for the Explorers to send Hudson into halftime with the advantage. Jackson will start the second half with possession.

Jackson and Hudson are underway

The Hudson at Jackson boys soccer game is set to get underway about 15 minutes later than expected at Rick Neitzelt Stadium. Hudson will have control of the ball to start the game. The Polar Bears will have control to start the second half.

Two traditional boys high school soccer power from Greater Akron and Greater Canton meet this evening when Hudson visits Jackson. Game time is 7 p.m.

Check back here throughout the night for live updates.

Hudson vs. Jackson OHSAA boys soccer pregame primer

Jackson (1-0) hosts its second quality opponent of the season to open the season. The Polar Bears earned a 2-0 victory over Medina at home on Tuesday to begin the year on a positive note. Hudson (2-0) opened the season with impressive wins over Kent Roosevelt on the road (6-1) before defeating Hoover (5-1) at home on Tuesday. Hudson and Jackson also met early in the season a year ago, with Jackson prevailing 3-2. The Polar Bears have dominated the recent history between the teams. Jackson is 4-0-1 over the last five meetings against the Explorers.

Jackson boys soccer gains an influx of talent

The Jackson boys soccer team had two players return to the high school team from elite soccer club program this fall. For more information on those players and the rest of the top soccer players in the Canton-area, click the link below.

More: Ohio high school boys soccer 2024 | Top 10 Canton-area players to watch

More Northeast Ohio high school boys soccer scores

Walsh Jesuit knocked off St. Ignatius earlier Saturday, winning on penalty kicks. Click here for more on the Walsh-Ignatius match.

Reach Cliff at cliff.hickman@cantonrep.com

On X: @chickmanREP

This article originally appeared on The Repository: Hudson vs. Jackson, Ohio high school boys soccer score updates