Soccer Game Preview: Amphitheater vs. Rio Rico

Amphitheater and Rio Rico are an even 4-4-2 against one another since January of 2018, but likely not for long. The Amphitheater Panthers will head out to face off against the Rio Rico Hawks at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday. Amphitheater is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 3.5 goals per game this season.

Amphitheater lost 6-1 to Ironwood Ridge on Friday. While losing is never fun, the Panthers can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Arizona soccer rankings (they are ranked 159th, while the Nighthawks are ranked 32nd).

Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Rio Rico, who bounced back after a loss on the road last Thursday. They came out on top against Buena by a score of 3-1 on Monday.

Amphitheater has also been struggling recently as they've lost four of their last five matches, which put a noticeable dent in their 2-6 record this season. As for Rio Rico, their victory bumped their record up to 4-6-1.

Amphitheater was able to grind out a solid win over Rio Rico when the teams last played back in January of 2024, winning 4-2. The rematch might be a little tougher for Amphitheater since the squad won't have the home-pitch advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.