DAVIS, Calif. - As the old saying goes, defense wins championships.
While the possibility of hoisting a championship trophy is unquestionably a goal for the NM State women's soccer team, for now the squad's defense has helped it to its best start in program history.
Senior forward Shea O'Connor pumped in a pair of goals - one in the ninth minute and another in the 70th - Makenna Gottschalk turned away all three shots she faced and the Aggies collected a 2-0 triumph over Big West adversary UC Davis Friday night.
With the result, NM State moved to 2-0 on the season. It marks the first time in program history the Aggies have started a season 2-0.
SCORING PLAYS
9' | After getting hauled down in the box by a UC Davis defender, O'Connor was awarded a penalty kick. From there, NM State's senior gave her team a lead it never relinquished when she fired a blast just inside the left post and over the outstretched arms of UC Davis netminder Nicki Ricki.
70' | Breaking free of UC Davis' back line, O'Connor tapped in her second goal of the night to effectively put the game away. With the Aggies' attention on Hannah Leitner streaking up the sideline, O'Connor found herself wide open at the mouth of UC Davis' net. Leitner deftly fed O'Connor who pushed a one-foot shot past Ricki for the game's final goal.
KEY PERFORMERS/STATISTICS OF NOTE
• As a result of her two-goal effort, O'Connor moved up to seventh all-time in career goals scored at NM State. She currently has 10 goals to her credit in an Aggie uniform.
• O'Connor is the first Aggie to score exactly two goals in a game since Alexa Barrera did so against UTRGV in the 2018 season.
• Gottschalk posted her first clean sheet in her tenure as an NM State netminder.
• Leslie Fregoso registered two of UC Davis' eight shots. The hosts outshot NM State by an 8-6 margin and enjoyed four corner kick opportunities compared to just one by NM State.
• The match was the first one between NM State and UC Davis.
QUOTABLE | HEAD COACH ROB BAARTS
"I can't tell you how proud I am of the overall team performance, including the group that didn't travel. That group really helps us push the envelope and make it a tough environment in practice to where it's hard to pick a travel a squad. We now have the ability to play everyone when we're on the road and there's no drop off."
COMING UP NEXT
• In the midst of a six-match road swing, NM State's next stop is Nevada for a Sunday afternoon showdown with the Wolfpack. Kickoff is currently schedules for 1:00 p.m. MT that day between the Aggies and the Mountain West squad.
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