Match Twelve
NM State (5-6, 1-1 WAC) vs. Seattle U (6-3-1, 0-1 WAC)
Friday, Oct. 1 | 7:00 p.m. | NM State Soccer Athletics Complex | Las Cruces, N.M.
Watch | Live Stats | Tickets
THE KICKOFF
• Back home for its first WAC match of the season at the NM State Soccer Athletics Complex, the NM State women's soccer team faces off against Seattle U Friday night at 7:00 p.m.
• Tickets for Friday night's contest are $5 for general admission and can be purchased at the gates, ahead of the game at the Pan American Center ticket office or at this link. All kids age 12 and under will be admitted for free.
THE SERIES
• NM State and Seattle U have met on 13 occasions prior to Friday night. In the all-time series, NM State is 1-12 (.078) against the Redhawks.
• The Aggies' lone win over Seattle U came on Oct. 14, 2017 in Seattle when Aileen Galicia netted the game-winning goal in the 62nd minute to lift her team to a 2-1 triumph.
• Seattle U has outscored the Aggies by a 44-6 margin in the 13 meetings between the two teams.
• The Aggies are 0-4 all-time at home against the Redhawks and NM State head coach Rob Baarts is hoping to pick up his first win over the Redhawks during his tenure as the Aggies' bench boss. He holds an 0-4 record against Seattle U.
LAST TIME OUT | NM State 0, at Utah Valley 2 | Saturday, Sept. 25, 2021
• Senior goalkeeper Makenna Gottschalk made a total of nine saves, but NM State's offense was able to muster just two shots on goal and the Aggies suffered a 2-0 setback to the Wolverines.
• Xitlaly Hernandez was responsible for both of NM State's shots on goal during the tilt as she took one in the first half and another in the final 45 minutes of action.
• The loss was the Aggies' first WAC setback of the season and dropped them to fourth place in the WAC's six-team West Division standings through the opening week of league play.
• The setback was the Aggies' fourth shutout loss of the season.
ABOUT THE AGGIES
• NM State is hoping to collect its first home win since taking down Abilene Christian (in a non-conference match) by a 2-1 score in overtime on Aug. 19.
• The Aggies are 1-2 (.333) on their home field so far this season and have been outscored 8-3 in three home matches. In the spring 2021 season, NM State posted a 1-2-1 home record in WAC matches.
• With nine saves in her most recent game, senior goalkeeper Makenna Gottschalk has 100 in her NM State career. She is one of just six NM State goalkeepers who have made 100 or more saves in their respective careers and her 100 saves rank sixth all-time.
• So far this season, Gottschalk has racked up 42 saves. That total is the seventh-most by any WAC goalkeeper and also ranks as the 98th-most among all NCAA Division I goalkeepers.
• Unfortunately, staying healthy has been a difficult thing to do for the Aggies thus far in the year. NM State has had the benefit of an injury-free roster for just a handful of matches this season. In those matches - their first four of the season - the Aggies went 3-1. Since then, NM State has posted a 2-5 mark.
• NM State's points leader, junior forward Hannah Leitner (two goals and four assists for eight points), has missed out on each of her team's last three games. Despite that, she still ranks second in the WAC in total assists.
• Leitner is the program's all-time leader in assists with 12 throughout her career in the Crimson and White. Additionally, Leitner ranks eighth all-time on the NM State goal scoring charts with 10 in her career.
• Three other Aggies have been making their way up the program's all-time goal scoring charts since the season began, too. Shea O'Connor has booted in a team-leading three goals this season, giving her 11 for her NM State career. Those 11 goals are the seventh-most all-time.
• Like Leitner, Corey Kizer is tied for eighth all-time in career goals scored with 10. On the year Kizer has accounted for two of the Aggies' 13 scores.
SCOUTING SEATTLE U | ROSTER | SCHEDULE | STATISTICS
• For the past five seasons, Seattle U has played in the WAC Tournament championship match. In those five seasons, the Redhawks have been the league's automatic entrant into the NCAA Tournament, solidifying them as arguably the best team in the league.
• Playing a non-conference schedule heavy with Pac-12 and West Coast Conference adversaries, the Redhawks have scored victories over San Diego (3-2), Washington State (2-1) and Portland (1-0) in order to help prepare them for WAC action.
• In their most recent matchup, the Redhawks started WAC play with a loss for the first time since 2017 after dropping a 1-0 decision to California Baptist in Norco, Calif.
• Led by Preseason WAC Offensive Player of the Year Sydney Carr, Seattle U was picked to finish second in the league's West Division behind Utah Valley in the 2021 WAC Women's Soccer Preseason Poll.
• As of this writing, Carr is tied with teammate Leahi Manthei for the team lead in points (six). Manthei's three goals represent the highest total on the team while Carr is one of five Redhawks who have racked up a team-leading two assists on the year.
• In net, it's Jessica Berlin who has been logging the vast majority of the minutes. The owner of a 4-3 record, Berlin's goals against average of 1.05 is the second-best among all WAC netminders. Her save percentage of .820 not only leads the WAC but is the 80th-best in the nation, too.
COMING UP NEXT
• NM State wraps up its two-match WAC home stand Sunday afternoon at 1:00 p.m. when it hosts California Baptist for a league clash. The WAC Digital Network will stream all of the action in the fifth all-time meeting between the two programs.
++NM State++
