Soccer Game Preview: Desert Mountain vs. Cienega

The Desert Mountain Wolves will head out on the road to challenge the Cienega Bobcats at 12:00 p.m. on Saturday. Both come into the matchup bolstered by wins in their previous matches.

Desert Mountain is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Tuesday. They were the clear victor by a 9-1 margin over Willow Canyon. The high-scoring effort was just what Wolves needed considering they were shutout in their previous game.

Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Cienega, who bounced back after a loss on the road last Tuesday. They had just enough and edged Canyon del Oro out 2-1. The win continues a trend for the Bobcats in their matchups with the Dorados: they've now won five in a row.

Kylie Krebs and Cayla Jones scored both of Cienega's goals, bringing their combined season tally to 37 goals.

Desert Mountain has been performing well recently as they've won four of their last five contests, which provided a nice bump to their 16-6 record this season. The wins came thanks in part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they scored 27 goals over those five matchups. As for Cienega, they pushed their record up to 13-4 with the victory, which was their third straight at home.

Desert Mountain came out on top in a nail-biter against Cienega when the teams last played back in December of 2022, sneaking past 1-0. The rematch might be a little tougher for Desert Mountain since the team won't have the home-pitch advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.