LAS CRUCES, N.M. – The New Mexico State women's soccer team closed out the non-conference season with a 3-2 overtime win against Arizona Christian on Monday afternoon. The Aggies head into conference play with a 6-6-1 record while ACU heads home with a 4-6-1 mark.
 
NM State came out strong in the first half, taking 10 shots on goal to ACU's seven. At 9:59, forward Devin Hart found the back of the net with assistance from Micaela Milavec, giving the Aggies an early 1-0 lead over Arizona Christian.
 
"We wanted to play at a high tempo," head coach Freddy Delgado said. "We wanted to keep the ball moving and keep applying pressure to them. I think we accomplished that. They were a tough team to break down. They worked very hard and I give them a lot of credit because they made it difficult on us. We kept pressing and that's how we were able to break through."
 
The Aggies wasted no time attacking the goal in the second half. The persistence paid off when defender Samantha Afonso made a pass to Hart who scored her second goal of the match. Forward Audriana Chavez made a great goal against Arizona Christian's goalkeeper Tahlia Miears, but was offsides.
 
The Firestorm capitalized when Veronica Cruz maneuvered the ball around New Mexico State goalkeeper Dmitri Fong to get ACU on the board, bringing the score to 2-1. At 77:58, Marisa Ortiz set the equalizer as she got the ball in the net after teammate Lesly Perez attempted a shot on goal and missed, which tied up the match at 2-2 and sent the game into overtime.
 
In the 94th minute of the game, Chavez came through in the clutch with the game-winning goal as she made a header off of a cross by Alexandria Otero, giving NM State the 3-2 victory.
 
"The most important thing is that we kept our composure and kept fighting," said Delgado. "Even the players who didn't have the best game today showed a lot of effort and heart. Sometimes when you don't play your best, that's what's going to get you the victory."
 
New Mexico State opens up Western Athletic Conference action at home against CSU Bakersfield on Oct. 6 at the Soccer Athletic Complex. Kickoff is scheduled for 3 p.m. (MT).