LAS CRUCES, N.M. – The New Mexico State women's soccer team battled hard, but fell shy of the win as it was dealt a 1-0 loss by UMKC on Sunday afternoon at the Soccer Athletic Complex.
 
It was a battle of the offenses as New Mexico State (9-8-2, 3-2-1) was outshot by UMKC (11-6-1, 6-0-0) 14-6 in the first half of the match. At 33:26, the Aggies trailed the Roos, 1-0, when UMKC's Hayden Burnett made a corner kick and Lexi Howard capitalized with a header to get the ball around NM State's goalkeeper Dmitri Fong. In the 44th minute of action, Kelly Burton had a shot-on-goal, but the ball hit the crossbar. Seconds later, Rebecca Mazzie attempted a shot at the goal, but her shot was high.
 
"Today, we were upset after the game because I don't think we had one of our best games," head coach Freddy Delgado said. "We feel we let one slip away from us. Anytime that happens and you don't get the win, it's in the back of your mind that you know you could've given yourself a better chance. On the positive end, we know UMKC is going to have to come through us to get to the WAC Championship. We're going to get after it and give it everything we have."
 
During the second half, the New Mexico State defense worked hard to stop UMKC's run-of-play, even though the Aggies were outshot, 13-3. Fong racked up eight saves for the Aggies and held the Roos scoreless. Forward Aileen Galicia totaled six shots the entire match, three of which were on goal. Despite being dealt the 1-0 loss, NM State clinched a spot in the Western Athletic Conference Tournament that will take place in Phoenix, Ariz.
 
In the last home game of the season, NM State honored seniors Devin Hart, Cristina Bertoldo and Danielle Smith. The veteran Aggies have combined for 150 total games as they head into the final match of the 2017 regular season and prepare for the WAC Tournament.
 
"They have been invaluable to this program," said Delgado. "They've all come in at different levels. Devin has been here for five years and she has seen the highs and the lows of the program. For her to experience a very good season so far and reap the rewards of all the hard work has been very special. Cristina and Danielle both came to us as junior college transfers. They came in right away and were part of the driving force that said, 'we're going to establish this program as one of the top programs in the WAC.' It's because of their enthusiasm and hard work that we are where we are today. What they have given us is not measured in goals or assists, but measured in heart, relationships, drive and enthusiasm."
 
New Mexico State heads to Edinburg, Texas as they prepare to battle UT Rio Grande Valley on Oct. 28 in the final game of the 2017 regular season. Kickoff is at 6 p.m. (MT).
 
"We're playing every game as a 'win at all costs' type of game," Delgado said. "We're trying to get that into our mentality and the players feel we're playing the best in the most important part of the season. We're taking that into next week's game and we're ready to get after it."