OKLAHOMA CITY – NM State women's soccer senior center back Samantha Afonso was named to the 2018 Women's Premier Soccer League Northwest All-Conference team. Clubs within each of the four conferences nominated players to determine its respective All-Conference team.
 
"What a great experience for Samantha going and playing in a different environment," said NM State head coach Rob Baarts. "She's been in New Mexico her whole life and so getting into an environment that was different, getting a different view, playing with other top college players, really helped push her to a level that I don't know she knew she could get to. Having that environment day in and day out allowed her to fulfill her capabilities and become one of the best players in the league as a center back."
 
The Albuquerque, N.M., native represented Eugene Timbers FC Azul in the WPSL during the summer of 2018. With Azul, Afonso played both center back and outside back and was a dominant force on the backline. During the club's match against the Seattle Sounders, Afonso organized the defense and helped the team stay competitive in its 2-1 loss to the eventual National Champions.  
 
"Samantha was a leader on and off the field for our team and our best player in the air," said Azul head coach Jurgen Ruckaberle. "She provided leadership and demonstrated a commitment to the team in all practices and games. Samantha was a leader for our younger players and was a joy to work with as a coach."
 
Afonso has been a fixture on New Mexico State's backline throughout her career, appearing in 60 games while starting in 45, including both games so far in 2018, all 21 games her junior year and 19 of 20 games as a sophomore. She has also logged 3,902 minutes as a defender for the Aggies.
 
She scored her first career goal for NM State on Aug. 28, 2017, at Alcorn State, while she netted her second on Oct. 20, 2017, at Chicago State. Afonso also received Academic All-Western Athletic Conference honors following her junior season.
 
The WPSL is in its 22nd season and is the largest women's soccer league in the world with more than 100 clubs from coast-to-coast.  WPSL rosters feature elite collegiate, post-collegiate, international and standout prep student-athletes.  Many of the United States' most accomplished women's players have played in the WPSL, including household names such as Alex Morgan, Abby Wambach, Megan Rapinoe, Julie Foudy and Brandi Chastain.