SPRINGFIELD — Carson Beets surely enjoyed netting a hat trick earlier this week in Nixa's rout of Carl Junction. But all week the senior midfielder had his mind on the Eagles' trip to the Kickapoo Shootout and playing the likes of Lee's Summit West.

West beat Nixa 1-0 in the Shootout's opening night of action Thursday.

"Those games are kind more like a glorified practice," Beets said of playing Carl Junction. "Tonight is the kind of game that really matters."

Big-picture thinking, the Eagles (7-4) were as content as they could be after a loss, considering the experience they gained versus the Titans (7-4).

"That's the kind of level we're going to hope to see. They could be a Sectional opponent for us," Nixa coach Evan Palmer said. "It's good for us to see a team like that. They possess well. All of them are good technical players who play well together. We couldn't possess like we normally do because they're very strong on the ball. But our guys did a nice job being flexible."

The Eagles shut out West in the second half while coping with the Titans' ball-control style.

"Most of the teams we've played this year get it deep and then dump it," Beets said. "These guys moved the ball more. I think it was good for us see what that's like." 

"We primarily play kick-and-run teams," midfielder Cooper Hines agreed. "This team was a huge possession team. They pass everywhere. We had to totally change our defensive game plan and stay sucked in." 

Palmer was optimistic in the pre-season Nixa's defense would be a strength and it's living up to his expectations.

"I was proud of our guys defensively," Palmer said. "We didn't give up an incredible amount of chances tonight. Across the board, our forwards and mid-fielders played good defense and our back line has been solid all year. It's been fun to see.

"With Nick (Reid) on goal and Cooper and Kyle on the back line with Bryce (Richmond), Kaleb James and Colin Cash, that back line has been very solid," he added. "We're not giving up cheap goals. Teams are having to earn it against us."

West's goal came on a penalty kick with 13:00 left in the first half. With the officials having seemingly set a tone they would allow physical play earlier in the match, Palmer argued the penalty was the kind of contact that had previously been allowed.