Saturday afternoon’s scheduled meeting between the Rio Rancho and Cibola high schools’ girls soccer teams meant more than just the District 1-5A title.

The game’s outcome also will affect the Rams’ ranking in Class 5A, as well as the team’s seeding in the state tournament.

A loss to the Cougars (11-8, 6-2) means the Rams (16-3, 7-1) would wind up in a tie, record-wise for the top spot in District 1-5A, but two losses to the Coogs this season would give the tie-breaker nod to Cibola. In light of the fact there are only 11 5A teams with winning records this fall – and a dozen playoff berths to be filled at the seeding meeting – both teams are shoo-ins to state.

Meghan Valdez, left, races for the ball in the Rams' Oct.17 victory over West Mesa.

The defending state champion Rams put themselves into this quandary, coach Uwe Balzis said, when they became complacent and perhaps a bit cocky heading into a game against the Cougars in a make-up game last Monday at the State Farm Insurance Soccer Complex.

The costly loss was sandwiched between a pair of easy district victories.

Rams 4, Gallup 0: On a chilly Wednesday afternoon, which included a brisk wind from the north and a 30-minute delay in the game’s start because the officials were late arriving at Rio Rancho Stadium,

It was the Rams’ 13th shutout of the season; Chelsea Taylor and Caitlin Espinosa each played a half between the pipes.

Liz Hemminger, with an assist from Kara Dominguez, and Chelsea Page, on a feed from Kelly Angerosa, gave the Rams their two first-half goals.

Meghan Valdez and Julissa Hunte scored the Rams’ second-half goals; Amy Salinas assisted on each.

Cibola 2, Rams 1: The Cougars scored the first two goals and Amanda Solwick, called upon all season when a penalty kick is awarded to the Rams, converted on one of those opportunities right before halftime to make it 2-1, but neither team scored in the second half.

“Cibola came out with intensity and they deserved to win,” Balzis said. “My team … I had that feeling that they weren’t focused and they came out like that – flat. And before we knew it, we were behind 2-0.

“It was very disappointing to see that,” he added. “We actually had a few very good chances … and we didn’t take advantage of them.”

Balzis said his disappointment in the Rams was evident at halftime.

“I asked them, ‘Do you guys want to be coached,’ because obviously they were not paying attention, they were fooling around, and I asked them several times in the afternoon, ‘Do you need to get focused?’ I just said, ‘Do you want to be coached or do you not want to be coached? The choice is yours.

“Then we made a few changes and in the second half, we had the game in our hands. We had a little bit more ball possession, but Cibola played well on defense and we just couldn’t get through,” he said.

Rams 6, West Mesa 2: A five-goal outburst in the first half gave the Rams some breathing room, and a pair of Mustangs goals in the second half had nothing to do with the outcome last Friday at the soccer complex.

Kelly Angerosa fought her way through the Mustangs’ defense to score the game’s first goal midway through the first half.

A pair of fouls gave the Rams penalty kicks, both taken and converted by Solwick, for their second and fourth goals, while Gabby Spence had made it a 3-0 lead.

Spence’s goal in the 36th minute gave Rio Rancho its 5-0 bulge at intermission.

West Mesa scored the next two goals, and Chelsea Page closed out the scoring after breaking down the left side and lofting the ball into the upper right-hand corner, over the Mustangs’ goalkeeper.

Headers: The Rams, vying for their fourth district championship in a row, had would-be perfect 1-5A marks spoiled by the Cougars in 2005 and 2007; RRHS “ran the table” in 2006.

… To see when the Rams play in pool play later this week, visit the New Mexico Activities Web site, nmact.org. Ticket prices and the state tournament’s format, including semifinal and championship games, are there.