Rams overpower visitors in season opener

RIO RANCHO — Rio Rancho High School boys soccer opened its season with a 3-0 drubbing of out-of-town visitors, the Las Cruces Bulldogs, on a hot Tuesday evening at RRHS soccer field.

The Aug. 20 match opened with a grinding, physical pace. The Bulldogs used their size advantage to keep the Rams off-balance. While RRHS took at least a half dozen shots in the first half, they were all from wide range and, other than a glance off the top crossbar, none seemed destined to find the net. Even so, RRHS dominated possession.

The Rams adjusted at halftime, finding ways to use their speed and precision to bypass their opponent's strengths.

“We talked about [the size of Las Cruces], and the guys really talked through what to do to counter that,” said head coach John Shepard. “I’m really proud of them for that.”

The second half was a different story altogether. The Rams came out of the gate ready. Junior Lucas Gutierrez opened the scoring for the season less than four minutes into the half (minute 48:00) after a spot-on assist from senior Mateo Dean.

It wasn’t long before more Rams followed.

Senior Julian Sanchez found the back of the net two minutes later (50:00), and senior Aaron Meserve scored one of his own four minutes after that (54:00).

That’s where the scoring ended, but the game continued for another 30-plus minutes in the scorching heat. By the end, cramping seemed to be the biggest foe for both teams.

“The breeze was saving my life,” laughed Shepard.

Despite the undaunted evening sun, both squads played hard until the end, something Shepard loves about his team.

“I love the culture,” he said. “I love the teamwork. I see a lot of positives, with the number one being the guys’ attitude.”

The Rams face off against another out-of-town guest, Organ Mountain, at 5 p.m. Aug. 21 at the RRHS soccer field. It’ll be a tough turnaround, but Shepard says this Rams squad can pull each other through difficult times.

“They were supportive of each other [today] and they enjoyed the successes of their teammates, and I think that’s important going forward for when it gets tough and ugly,” he said. “Do we have stuff to work on? Yeah, we got some stuff to work on, but it’s a good start.”

RIO RANCHO 3, LAS CRUCES 0

Tuesday, Aug. 20

At Rio Rancho High School

1H 2H FINAL

Las Cruces 0 0 0

Rio Rancho 0 3 3

Goals: RR: Lucas Gutierrez (48), Julian Sanchez (50), Aaron Meserve (54) Assists: RR: Mateo Dean. Corners: RR 5, LC 3. Shots-on-Goal: RR 16, LC 2. Rec: RR 1-0, LC 0-1.