Rams' season ends in blizzard

ALBUQUERQUE — It was snowing hard when the game began; -t was snowing harder when it ended. The freezing cold and wind offered the perfect ambience for a heartbreaking end to a stellar season for the Rio Rancho boys soccer team.

The 3-seed Rams lost a grueling 1-0 match to the top-seeded La Cueva Bears in the semifinal round of the NMAA Boys Soccer State Championship, which took place at a snow-covered and icy APS Soccer Complex on Wednesday night.

Snow dusted the field, and the temperature was 34 degrees Fahrenheit when the game started. There was nearly an inch of snow on the ground, and the temperature was 27 degrees when it ended.

“Can you imagine? I pulled some of the subs off,; they said they couldn’t feel their feet,” said Rams head coach John Shepard after the game.

Shepard also said he didn’t feel the conditions were particularly unsafe, and while it was cold and unpleasant, the snow affected both teams and was not a factor in the outcome.

“I think if we started with these conditions, they probably wouldn’t have played it,” he said. “But it helps that it’s artificial turf. I don’t think there was a serious safety concern. The freezing temperature hurts, but I think we were all right.”

The game’s lone goal was a strike to the lower right corner from Bears junior forward Winston Starr, with the assist coming from freshman Brice Clark, in the 38th minute of the first half.

“Playing in a snowstorm, I’m so proud of the effort my guys showed all season and then the mental strength today,” said Shepard. “It just didn’t bounce our way today.”

As the snow picked up and the temperature dipped into the 20s, the Rams attack only increased in intensity. They kept up the pressure through the entire 90 minutes and fought for possession every time it was lost (as opposed to falling back into defense) and played to win.

The Rams led in time of possession and shots-on-goal, but nothing found the back of the net.

“We had more shots; we had more attacks; they had that one nice goal, and that was the difference today,” Shepard said.

While the Rams fought with everything they had — the Meserve brothers pushed up field with constant pressure, junior defender Lucas Gutierrez used his size to effectively protect the back line, Red was a speed demon, as usual — senior forward Bryson Strohecker was the standout Ram in this match.

This Rams loss was a matter of what some may call “the soccer gods,” not lack of effort. Strohecker was seemingly in two places at once all night long. Every scuffle, every shot, every set piece had a blazing “9” at its center (Strohecker’s number).

The outcome was not ideal, and the weather conditions were even less so. But both teams fought hard, and the Bears earned their victory. They matched the Rams at every turn and used their size advantage to win more than their share of contested balls. Precise, fast, resilient, the Bears looked every bit the team to beat in the tournament.

La Cueva moves on to face 2-seed Centennial, who defeated 4-seed Eldorado on Wednesday night 2-0 in Las Cruces.

The championship match between the Bears and the Hawks takes place this Saturday,Nov. 9, at UNM Soccer Field.

More information can be found at nmact.org.

For the Rams, the season draws to a close. Rio Rancho’s final overall record was 17-4-1. Their district 5A-1 record was 8-1-1.

The Rams’ goal leaders were Aaron Meserve, with 19 goals, and Bryson Strohecker with 17. The assists leader was Sean Meserve with 24. The saves leader was junior goalkeeper Kenneth Graves, with 81.

“My guys put out so much effort and showed so much composure and so much maturity, and I couldn’t be prouder of my guys today,” Shepard said.

Congratulations on a great season, Rams!