When the Rio Rancho High School boys soccer team meets defending state champ Las Cruces at 2:30 this afternoon at Albuquerque Academy, Rams coach John Shepard says the Bulldawgs might be a little different than last Saturday, when several players missed the game.

Then again, Shepard said, he has a trio of players who didn’t get to play last Saturday in Las Cruces, where his Rams maintained their perfect start with a 6-0 victory.

If you’re scoring at home, which the Rams haven’t been able to do yet, that’s five victories in five starts – 400 minutes worth of soccer without a goal being scored against them. Number 4 this week in the nmsoccer.com poll, after being rated third last week, Shepard knows it’s too early to say this is the Rams’ year on the pitch.

“I wouldn’t bet against us,” he said. “But we still have to be tested. There’s a very strong field in the Academy tournament, and right after that we’ve got Highland and La Cueva.”

As for the ‘Dawgs, he said, “They’re not the same team that won state. They must have graduated a lot. I think my boys played pretty well.”

Indeed.

Mike Gonzales got the Rams off to a good start with a pair of goals in the first 20 minutes of the game, while Kenny McAvoy and Nico Muñiz helped the visitors snag a 4-0 lead at halftime.

Muñiz rounded out the scoring with two second-half tallies, giving him a hat trick for the game.

How did Muñiz manage a hat trick, Shepard was asked. Didn’t anyone “mark” him?

“Our midfield is so good, they control the ball so well, someone has to come off and then Nico’s open,” he explained. “He’s good enough that he can’t be handled one-on-one. Nico would be the first one to give credit to the midfielders.”

Devin Potter played the first 60 or so minutes of the game, while Thomas Guarino played the rest of the way in relief.

Las Cruces managed only four shots, all in the first half, Shepard said, and Potter stopped all of them.

The Rams did more than win a game: Shepard said the team had time to bind on the ride to and from Las Cruces.

“The ride is always a good bonding thing,” he said. “I’m real impressed with my guys’ character – they said we’ve got other things to work on. I was thinking I should have been the one to say that. The attitude is fantastic. … At practice, they really push each other.”

Shepard, who said 17 players got into the game last week, figures the eighth-ranked Bulldawgs will do something different today in an attempt to change their fortunes.

“I know the coach and he will game-plan for us,” he said. “He was missing a couple starters, but we had three guys they didn’t get to see. It could be another interesting game.”

Headers: The Rams play again Friday at 2:30 p.m. against either the host Chargers or Hope Christian.

… How did the Rams beat the defending state champs, remain undefeated, and still drop a spot? They were behind only No. 1 La Cueva and second-ranked La Cueva last week. Now they trail top-ranked Eldorado (5-0) coming off a 2-0 win over La Cueva and a 3-1 victory over St. Pius X last week, No. 2 Mayfield and third-ranked Hobbs, which was No. 8 a week ago.

… No. 14 Highland visits Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. The Rams face La Cueva Thursday at 4:30 p.m. at the soccer complex.