First round of the state soccer tournament begins today ...

The New Mexican will be out covering the Socorro-Santa Fe Prep match at 4 p.m. and we will also have a roundup of today's events.

Here is a quick handicap for today's boys events:
Class A-AAA
No. 10 Socorro at Prep, 4 p.m. - The Blue Griffins have played well after a 1-5 slide midway through the year. They have shown the ability to out shots on frame, but finishing has been a huge obstacle at times this year. They do have a 3-1 win over Socorro in September, and it was aided by two penalty kick. Expect Prep not to use the free kicks this time.
Blue Griffins 2, Warriors 0
No. 12 Desert Academy at No. 5 Hope Christian - The Wildcats are looking to make some noise this year, as opposed to being happy to be a part of the A-AAA bracket. Desert Academy's strength is its offense, but the defense has been generous at times. The Huskies area bit stingier in protecting their goal, and they do have the benefit of playing No. 1 Sandia Prep and No. 2 Bosque School in their district. That they have a pair of 1-0 losses to Bosque Scchool shows they can play with the top teams in the state.
Huskies 2, Wildcats 0
No. 9 Bloomfield at No. 8 Las Vegas Robertson - Perhaps the most even matchup of the tournament, which is not a surprise when it comes to 8-9 contests. The difference might be in the 4-hour drive for the Bobcats. Or how about the competition each has faced? Bloomfield has district champion Rehoboth (the No. 6 seed) in its district, with whom it split. Robertson had 10-10 Pojoaque, which didn't even make the state tournament.
Bobcats 3, Cardinals 1
Class AAAA
No. 9 Capital at No. 8 Piedra Vista - The Jaguars were 10 minutes away from a big win over a tough AAAA foe on Sept. 3, but then the Panthers scored to tie the match and won in a shootout. Piedra Vista has played competitively against Farmington, the No. 4 seed in the bracket, while Capital looked disorganized and intimidated against Los Alamos (the five-seed). But Capital also feels a bit disrespected about falling to a 9 seed, and that could be all the motivation needed to advance to Albuquerque.
Jaguars 2, Panthers 1
No. 12 Roswell Goddard at No. 5 Los Alamos - Here was how the Rockets' Saturday went: Oh no, we have to play Los Alamos.
Here's how today will go: Oh hey! Look at the snow!
Too bad they can't take it with them.
Hilltoppers 4, Rockets 1