LAS CRUCES, N.M. – The New Mexico State women's soccer team opens conference play when it hosts defending Western Athletic Conference Tournament champions Utah Valley on Friday, Sept. 28, at 4 p.m. (MT).
 
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Where to Watch
Aggie fans unable to attend Friday's match can watch all the action via livestream from the WAC Digital Network.
 
Follow Along
Follow along with every NM State women's soccer match throughout the season via live stats from StatBroadcast.
 
Quick Hits
NM State is back in the City of Crosses to open conference play against Utah Valley on Friday, Sept. 28, at 4 p.m. (MT).
 
The Aggie attack is led by senior forward Aileen Galicia (8p) with four goals and sophomore forward Katie Martinez (6p) with three. Alexa Barrera (4a) and Emma Smith (1g, 2a) are tied for third on the team with four points each.
 
Barrera's four assists give the freshman the team lead and are good for fifth in the WAC.
 
WACtion
New Mexico State will host four games this season against Western Athletic Conference teams with four on the road. The Aggies are set to open league play at home versus defending WAC Tournament champion Utah Valley on Friday, Sept. 28, at 4 p.m. (MT).
 
The Aggies are 3-4-2 all-time in conference openers and have earned at least one point in every WAC opener since the 2014 season, that streak includes a 2-1 win over UT Rio Grande Valley in 2015, a 2-1 victory against Chicago State in 2016 and a 2-2 draw against CSU Bakersfield in 2017.
 
A Look at the Wolverines
UVU (1-9-1) and New Mexico State have met six times with the Wolverines holding a 4-0-2 advantage. Utah Valley won the last meeting between the two teams 5-2 in Orem Utah on Oct. 12, 2017 in Orem. The last time UVU visited Las Cruces, the two teams played to a 2-2 draw.
 
Offensively, the Wolverines have scored eight goals on the season and are led by redshirt sophomore Whitney Paskins with two goals (4p) while sophomore Sadie Brockbank leads the team in points with five (1g, 3a).
 
UVU has used two goalies on the year in junior Brooklyn Nielsen and redshirt senior Sarah Davis. Nielsen has appeared in nine games while starting eight and compiling a 0-7-1 with Davis starting three games in four appearances for a 1-2 record.
 
Nielsen has a 2.01 goals-against average while recording a .742 save percent. Her 49 saves on the season are good for fourth place in the conference.
 
Weekend in Review
New Mexico State hosted South Dakota on Thursday, Sept. 20 for its final non-conference home game. The Aggies conceded an own goal early on and Taryn LeBree would score twice for the Coyotes as NM State was shutout 3-0.
 
Next, NM State hit the road for the Battle of I 10 against UTEP to wrap up conference play on Sunday, Sept. 23. The Miners rode a dominant offensive performance to a 4-1 victory in the rivalry match. Katie Martinez scored her third goal of the season on a PK in the 40^th minute.
 
Up Next
The Aggies take their first road trip of WAC play with a trip to California Baptist on Friday, Oct. 5, at 2 p.m. (MT) before heading to the Show-Me State to take on Kansas City on Sunday, Oct. 7, at 12 p.m. Both games will be available to stream via the WAC Digital Network.