ARLINGTON, Texas – After the winningest season in program history, the NM State women's soccer program has been rewarded with a flurry of postseason honors. Seven Aggies saw their name appear on the Western Athletic Conference's postseason awards list that the league announced Tuesday.
Loma McNeese becomes the first Aggies to earn All-WAC First Team honors since 2017 and just the fourth player in NM State history to earn First Team honors. McNeese leads the Aggies with nine goals and 23 points this season. With nine goals, McNeese has tied Audriana Chavez for fourth on NM State's single-season goals record.
Makenna Gottschalk,
Landy Williams, and
Xitlaly Hernandez each earned a selection to the All-WAC Second Team. Hernandez also earned second team honors in the fall of 2021, making her the only current Aggie to earn multiple career selections.
Hernandez split the team lead in assists with
Bianca Chacon at seven apiece, while also landing 16 shots on goal. The highlight of Hernandez's season came against Nevada on September 9 when she dished out three assists.
Gottschalk posted a stellar season in net for the Aggies, recording eight shutouts. Posting what is currently the fourth-highest save percentage in school history, Gottschalk shattered the NM State records for shutouts in a single-season and goals-against-average.
Throughout the season, Gottschalk received plenty of assistance from her back line which featured Williams. In her second season with the Aggies, Williams logged 1,492 minutes – Third highest among the NM State roster. The defense allowed just 15 goals this season, obliterating the previous low of 25, set by the 2011 team.
The Aggies also saw a trio of players in
Jena Johannes,
Sofia Beerworth, and Sydney Johnson selected to the Freshman All-WAC Team. Beerworth was the lone freshman to log over 1,000 minutes, playing in 1,034. The Montreal, Canada native picked up two goals and two assists in her freshman campaign. Beerworth logged her first career goal in the crimson and white on September 1 against UTEP.
Johannes recorded her first career in NM State's last contest on the road versus California Baptist. The freshman defender appeared in 15 contests, making 11 starts and tallying three points. The freshman from Kihei, Hawai'i found the back of the net for the first time against Nevada on September 9.
As a true freshman, Johnson appeared in all 17 matches for NM State, making eight starts. Johnson beat the keeper three times this season, notching goals against Portland State, Nevada, and Southern Utah, including a game winner.
Winners of six of their last seven, NM State will take on California Baptist in the opening round of the WAC Soccer Tournament on Wednesday, November 2, beginning a 5 p.m. MT in Seattle. Previously, NM State has earned three wins in the WAC Tournament against Hawaii (2-1; 2011), CSU Bakersfield (3-0; 2014), and UTRGV (3-0; Spring 2021). Wednesday's match will stream nationally on ESPN+.
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