Soccer Game Preview: Natomas vs. Rio Linda

The Natomas Nighthawks will venture away from home to take on the Rio Linda Knights at 6:00 p.m. on Wednesday. Natomas' offense has struggled lately (the team hasn't scored more than a single goal for four straight games), a trend the team is no doubt ready to end.

Last Wednesday, Natomas came up short against El Camino and fell 3-1. While losing is never fun, the Nighthawks can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' California soccer rankings (they are ranked 830th, while the Eagles are ranked 394th).

Natomas' goal came courtesy of Mariana Estrada Paz, which was the first she's scored this season.

Meanwhile, Rio Linda didn't have quite enough to beat El Camino on Monday and fell 2-1. The Knights have now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.

Rio Linda's loss dropped their record down to 6-9-3. As for Natomas, their defeat dropped their record down to 4-6.

Natomas came out on top in a nail-biter against Rio Linda in their previous meeting back in December of 2024, sneaking past 2-1. The rematch might be a little tougher for Natomas since the team won't have the home-pitch advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.