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Defending Mountain Foothills 7 Conference champion Patton remains a very good team, as Polk County learned Wednesday evening.

The Panthers largely controlled the midfield and limited the Wolverines’ scoring opportunities en route to a 2-0 victory in Polk’s conference opener in G.M. Tennant Stadium.

Not that the Wolverines (5-2-2, 1-0) aren’t also a quality side, and Polk kept the Panthers (8-2-1, 1-0) in check most of the evening – it was a one-goal match until Patton got an insurance goal in the final two minutes.

But the Panthers, who grabbed a 1-0 advantage late in the first half, applied pressure to Polk throughout the field unlike any the Wolverines have faced thus far this season, and head coach George Alley said that ultimately proved the deciding factor in the match.

“That’s a good team, a very good team,” Alley said. “They’re very good 1v1, both offensively and defensively. They applied more pressure than any other team has, so it’s good for us to see that and see what’s maybe coming up in conference.

“We see we’ve got to ramp it up a little bit in practice.”

Polk did have a couple of good looks at goal late in the match, with a shot bouncing off the crossbar with 11 minutes remaining and a cross just missing connecting with a charging Wolverine at the back post in the 72nd minute.

The Wolverines will be on the road for their next three matches, that road trip beginning Monday at Hendersonville.