LAS CRUCES – The Las Cruces High boys soccer team had two close matches with Gadsden during District 3-6A play.

And to open the Class 6A state tournament, the Bulldawgs will face the Panthers for a third time this season. The boys and girls soccer state tournament field was announced on Sunday with Las Cruces the No. 5 seed and Gadsden the No. 12 seed, and final team in, for the Class 6A boys state tournament.

The Bulldawgs, who won the District 3-6A championship, beat the Panthers 2-1 on Oct. 6 and 2-1 in overtime last Thursday in Anthony.

First-round matches will either be Friday or Saturday, with the higher seed hosting. Dates and times will be announced later this week. The tournament moves to Albuquerque for the state quarterfinals on Nov. 5 with the semifinals Nov. 6 and state championship matches on Nov. 7 The winner of the Las Cruces-Gadsden match will face No. 4 seed Atrisco Heritage in the state quarterfinals.

“They (Gadsden) are definitely a tough matchup and it will be a challenge,” Las Cruces boys soccer coach Erik Tuchfarber said. “But, from here on out we have to win every game as it is. We’re looking forward to the home game. Familiarity in particular makes them a tough opponent. It’s hard to beat a team three times in one season. They’re well coached, work to the end of the 80th minute and they have some talent. You put those things together and it’s always going to be a good matchup.”

Las Cruces  and Gadsden were the only District 3-6A boys teams selected to the state tournament.

The Las Cruces High girls, who won the District 3-6A championship, were the only District 3-6A team selected to the Class 6A girls state tournament. The Bulldawgs are the No. 8 seed and will host No. 9 seed Sandia in the first round. The winner of that match will face top-seeded La Cueva in the state quarterfinals.

In Class 5A, the Centennial girls soccer team won the District 3-5A championship for the first time in the four-year history of the program and is in the state tournament for the first time in program history. The Hawks are the No. 8 seed and will face No. 9 seed, and fellow district foe, Los Lunas in the first round.

Centennial and the Tigers split the season series, with the Hawks winning 4-1 at Los Lunas on Sept. 22 and the Tigers winning 4-1 in Las Cruces on Oct. 10. The winner of the Centennial-Los Lunas match will face top-seeded Farmington in the state quarterfinals.

“I think the biggest thing for us to going to be able to control our emotions,” Centennial girls soccer coach Alex Reyes said. “To come out with confidence that we’ve had all season. Our first district loss was against (Los Lunas) where we did not play very well. But after that point, we kind of found our rhythm again, found our grove. And we were run to win six in a row after that. It’s matter of having the confidence in ourselves and our abilities to be the team that we are capable of being.”

The Centennial boys went to the Class 5A state semifinals last season and are the No. 5 seed this season. The Hawks, who won the District 3-5A championship, will host No. 12 seed Goddard. The winner of that match will face No. 4 Farmington in the state quarterfinals.

Chaparral is the No. 8 seed and Santa Teresa is the 9 seed. The Lobos will host the Desert Warriors in the first round. The winner of that match faces top-seeded Albuquerque Academy in the state quarterfinals.

The Hatch Valley boys soccer team is the No. 6 seed in the Class 1A-4A state tournament and will host No. 11 Monte Del Sol. The winner of that match faces No. 3 Socorro.

Mark Rudi can be reached at 575-541-5455 or at mrudi@lcsun-news.com. Follow him on Twitter @mrudi19.

State tournament 
First round matchups 
Class 6A boys
No. 12 Gadsden at No. 5 Las Cruces High
Class 6A girls
No. 9 Sandia at No. 8 Las Cruces High
Class 5A boys
No. 12 Goddard at No. 5 Centennial
No. 9 Santa Teresa at No. 8 Chaparral
Class 5A girls
No. 9 Los Lunas at No. 8 Centennial
Class 1A-4A boys
No. 11 Monte Del Sol at No. 6 Hatch Valley
Of note: First round matches will be Friday or Saturday. Dates and times will be announced later this week.