Match #2
NM State (0-1) vs. UTEP (0-2)
Thursday, February 11, 7 p.m.
University Field, El Paso, Texas
Live Stream
Live Stats
Tickets

LAS CRUCES, N.M. - The NM State Aggies will look to bounce back from their season opening loss with a matchup against the UTEP Miners at 7 p.m. on Thursday night at University Field in El Paso, Texas. A limited number of tickets are being sold for the match. Fans can also catch the game on the C-USA live stream.

Last Time Out
The Aggies are hoping to build off a solid defensive showing in the first half of a 4-0 loss to Arizona State last Sunday. In the first 45 minutes, the Aggies held the Sun Devils to just one goal and seven shots with junior Makenna Gottschalk making four saves in her debut with the Aggies. The Aggies created plenty of opportunities against the Sun Devils with five corner kicks but were unable to convert any of those into goals. Six different Aggies took shots in the matchup last Sunday with freshman Gia Valenti leading the way with two shots and one shot on goal. 

Scouting the Miners
The Miners have dropped their first two matches of the 2020-21 season with a 3-1 loss against Arizona State last Thursday and a 2-0 loss to Arizona on Sunday. The Miners are coached by Kathryn Balogun who is in her second season. Balogun led the Miners to a 10-7-3 season in 2019. In their first two games, the Miners have been led by junior Ayana Noel who scored the Miners only goal of the season against Arizona State. The Miners have used two goalies this season with sophomores Emily Parrot and Mariah Scott each starting a game for the Miners. Parrot gave up three goals and had just one save against Arizona State, while Scott gave up just two goals and recorded six saves against Arizona. 

What to Watch For
These two teams met just 12 days ago in an exhibition match that the Aggies won 3-1. Junior Hannah Leitner was the star of the game with one goal and two assists on the night. Both teams have competition at the goalkeeper position. Gottschalk and redshirt senior Dmitri Fong each played a half for the Aggies against Arizona State and the Miners have had two goalies each start a game in their two losses. The Aggies started three newcomers on Sunday and a total of 12 newcomers received playing time for the Aggies. 

The Series
UTEP leads the all-time regular season series 8-1 against the Aggies. NM State last beat UTEP in the regular season in 2017 in a double overtime victory over the Miners. In 2019, the Miners came away with 2-1 double overtime win. The series has been very close over the years, as four out of the nine matchups have been decided by just one goal.

Make sure to follow the Aggies on Twitter (@NMStateWSOC) for live updates throughout the game.

++NM State++