LAS CRUCES, N.M. - For the first time since Oct. 24, 2019, there will be a soccer game played at the Soccer Athletic Complex in Las Cruces, N.M. The Aggies will return home on Saturday at 11:30 a.m. with a match against UTRGV, but the Aggies will first take on the Vaqueros Thursday night at University Field in El Paso, Texas, at 7 p.m.

Scouting the Vaqueros
UTRGV is off to another solid start under head coach Glad Bugariu, as they are 4-3-2 and dropped two games last weekend to Utah Valley. The Vaqueros are led Gina Steiner who has three goals which leads the team. In the net, Maile Lunardi leads the Vaqueros with 45 saves and a 0.76 GAA.

Last Time Out
The Aggies picked up its third win of the year against Grand Canyon last Saturday in Phoenix, Ariz. The win was the first time the Aggies have beaten Grand Canyon in Phoenix. Goals from Hannah Leitner and Megan Ormson in the first half would be enough to give the Aggies the victory. Makenna Gottschalk had a season-high 11 saves including six saves in the second half.

Gottschalk Snags WAC Defensive Player of the Week
Junior Makenna Gottschalk picked up the WAC Defensive Player of the Week on Monday morning after she snagged a season-high 11 saves for the Aggies in its win 2-1 win over Grand Canyon last Saturday. Gottschalk is the second Aggie to be honored by the WAC this season, as Shea O'Connor took home WAC Offensive Player of the Week honors on Feb. 22.

The Broomfield, Colo., native was terrific on Saturday against the Antelopes. Gottschalk played a major role in slowing down a fierce Grand Canyon comeback, as the Antelopes were able to get 14 shots off in the second half, but Gottschalk would not budge recording six saves in the second half to protect the Aggies' 2-0 halftime lead. Gottschalk's performance led the Aggies to its third win of the year to improve the Aggies to 3-5 overall and 3-2 in WAC play.

The Series
The two teams have played a total of eight times and have each won four games in the series. The Aggies took down the Vaqueros in 2019 by a score of 3-1.

Up Next
The Aggies will be back on the road next week against California Baptist. The teams will play Thursday and Saturday with both games beginning a 3 p.m. Both games will be streamed live on the WAC Digital Network.

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