Soccer Game Preview: San Marcos vs. Rio Mesa

The San Marcos Royals will take on the Rio Mesa Spartans in a holiday battle at at 6:45 p.m. on Tuesday. San Marcos' last three matchups have been decided by no more than a goal, so don't be surprised if it's a close one.

Last Thursday, neither San Marcos nor Pacifica could gain the upper hand so the two teams had to settle for a 3-3 draw. The only reason the Royals dodged a loss was the performance of Jose Ramirez, who scored every single goal for the team.

Meanwhile, after failing to score in their last game, Rio Mesa made sure to put some goals up on the board against Buena on Thursday. They blew past the Bulldogs 7-1. That looming 7-1 mark stands out as the most commanding margin for the Spartans yet this season.

Rio Mesa has been performing well recently as they've won three of their last four contests, which provided a nice bump to their 5-4 record this season. Those victories came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they scored 16 goals over those four matches. With that draw, San Marcos' record moves to 3-1-2.

San Marcos was able to grind out a solid win over Rio Mesa in their previous meeting back in January, winning 4-2. Will San Marcos repeat their success, or does Rio Mesa have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.