Nixa soccer has opened the 2023 campaign with a record of 2-3 heading into its week-long break before the Eagles take on Carl Junction on Sept. 12.

The Eagles opened the year on Aug. 25 on neutral ground against Columbia Hickman, and fell to Kewpies 2-1. Hickman scored the opening goal late in the first half on a free kick and extended its lead to 2-0 with a penalty kick roughly 15 minutes into the second. Lucas Green cut Nixa's deficit to 2-1 28 minutes into the second with a rebound goal inside the 18-yard box. 

Following Green's goal, the Eagles managed to get two shots but could not score. Nixa tallied seven shots, three of which were on goal, while Hickman had five shots, two on goal.

Proceeding Hickman, Nixa hosted Columbia Rock Bridge a day later for the home opener and fell to the Bruins 3-0. Rock Bridge scored two first-half goals and got the game's final goal eight minutes into the second half.

The Eagles had three shots in the game, while the Bruins managed eight.

Nixa opened up conference play with a road game against Joplin on Aug. 29, and in an overtime thriller, notched its first win of the season with a 3-2 defeat over the host Eagles.

The visiting Eagles started the scoring 15 minutes into the game when defender Sam Sellenriek blasted the ball up to forward Caeden Cloud. Cloud beat the Joplin defender and curled the ball in the back post, giving Nixa a 1-0 lead. Five minutes later, Joplin drew a foul inside the Nixa 18-yard box and converted the penalty kick into a goal.

Midfielder Jayden Tate regained the lead for Nixa, as Tate beat two defenders a few yards outside the box and hit a low-driven shot in the corner that beat the keeper. The lead lasted only a short time for Nixa, though. Again, Joplin scored on a penalty kick due to a foul inside the box by Nixa and tied at 2-2.

In overtime, Cloud ended the game eight minutes into the frame when he tracked down a long ball clearance, broke free of the Joplin defense, beat the goalie 1-on-1 on the breakaway, and buried the ball in the back of the net for the golden goal.

Nixa outshot Joplin in the game nine to six, and both teams had two corners a piece.

Two days later, Nixa traveled to Kickapoo for a critical district seedings implications matchup and erupted for six goals in a 6-2 victory over the Chiefs, halting a four-game losing streak to the host.

Forwards Lucas Green and Caeden Cloud created all sorts of problems for the Kickapoo defense, as the two combined for five of the six Eagle goals. Green scored a hattrick while Cloud tallied a brace with two assists.

Jayden Tate scored the game's opening goal with a head ball coming off a Blake Reynolds corner kick 10 minutes into the opening frame.

With roughly 10 minutes left in the first half, Cloud extended Nixa's lead to 2-0 with a beautiful free-kick goal from about 30 yards out that dipped over the keeper's head in the top corner. 

At the half, Nixa led 2-0.

Kickapoo answered immediately in the second half with a goal of its own, trimming Nixa's lead to just one. However, not even a minute later, Nixa responded with a goal from Green, coming off an assist from midfielder Conner Shaar, and gave Nixa a two-goal advantage again.

Green scored again 13 minutes into the second, as he received the pass from Cloud inside the box and beat the Kickapoo keeper for the 4-1 Nixa lead.

Kickapoo answered four minutes later with its final goal coming from an unmarked man crashing the box on the back post and tapping the ball in, making it 4-2, Nixa.

In the final 10 minutes of the game, Cloud scored an unassisted goal, and Green capped off his hat trick with an easy tap-in goal courtesy of an unselfish pass by Cloud inside the 18.

The Eagles dominated all aspects of the game, as Nixa outshot Kickapoo 16-11, 13 of which were on goal to the Chiefs five. Nixa won the corner kicks margin as well, 4-1.

Nixa hosted Branson on Sept. 5 for its senior night and fell to the Pirates in a double-overtime heartbreaker 2-1.

Branson scored the opening goal 17 minutes into the game after the Eagles were forced to substitute its starting goalkeeper Mason Adair due to a controversial no-call collusion between the Pirates forward and Adair at the 15-minute mark. Adair was able to return and made big stops down the stretch.

Jayden Tate scored his third goal of the season and tied the game at 1-1 with a few minutes left in the first half. Nixa drew a foul around the midfield, Blake Reynolds delivered the free kick inside the box that found Caeden Cloud's foot, who slid it across the box, and Tate buried the ball into the top corner, making the game even.

The second half witnessed a scoreless affair. Nixa had numerous scoring chances to end the game but could not find the back of the net. The Eagles had six shots on goal, including four breakaways that were either barely wide or over the top of the net.

In overtime, Nixa had two prime opportunities to score again, but a similar tale prevailed, just wide or high. Branson made the most of its lone chance and scored the golden goal with four minutes left in the second overtime.

Nixa outshot the Pirates 19-8 in the game, but both teams had five on goal. Nixa totaled five fouls with one yellow card to Branson's nine and one yellow.

The Eagles seek to return to the win column on Sept. 12 with a road conference contest at Carl Junction.