LAS CRUCES, N.M. – In a much anticipated match the NM State women's soccer team battled with a tough Utah Valley team, dueling to a 1-1 draw after 90 minutes. Xitlaly Hernandez recorded her fourth assist on the year on a Bianca Chacon goal, Chacon's fourth score of the season and the sixth of her career. The Aggies learned how they stacked up to one of the premier teams in the WAC, the Wolverines able to knock off #13 BYU, and play to a tie with #23 UCF.

On Sunday, NM State will play the last match of a five game homestead, facing off against WAC opponent Seattle U. Since a road game against the fellow Aggies of Texas A&M on August 27th, the Crimson and White have gone 3-0-1, including a 3-0 win over rival UTEP and a 4-0 victory over Mountain West member Nevada. Over the hot streak the Aggie offense has been scalding, scoring 11 goals over the four games, while the NM State back line has been equally strong, allowing a whopping total of one goal, including three straight shutouts prior to Friday's game. The Aggies have also outshot opponents 58-30 over that stretch.

Makenna Gottschalk is currently tied for second in the conference with three shutouts on the season along with 27 saves, tied for third in the WAC. For the week of September 6^th, Gottschalk was named the TicketSmarter WAC Women's Defensive player of the week after totaling five saves over a pair of shutout wins against UTEP and Portland State.

Seattle U is coming into this match undefeated in conference play after defeating Sam Houston 3-0. Last weekend the Redhawks split a pair of games on the west coast, falling 1-0 on the road to Portland and recording a 7-0 victory over Evergreen State. After their pit stop in Las Cruces, Seattle will head to Lancaster, California for a matchup with California Baptist.

Tomorrow's kick-off is set for 1 p.m. at the NM State Soccer Complex.

Follow Along | Watch | Live Stats | Tickets
Aggie Nation can follow along with all the action thanks to live stats from StatBroadcast. Subsequently, fans can also stream the action through WAC International (formally known as WAC Digital Network). To stream, you will need to create a free account through WAC International - no subscription is needed.

Last Time Out | NM State 1, Utah Valley 1 | Friday, September 16, 2022 | Box Score
• NM State and Utah Valley combined for 27 shots in the game, though the Aggies held the advantage in shots on goal seven to five.
• Five different players took shots for the Aggies, with Bianca Chacon attempting four including three shots on goal.
• Bianca Chacon (72') scored the lone Aggie goal on the night off an assist from Preseason 2^nd Team All-WAC selection Xitlaly Hernandez; Hernandez's fourth helper in the last two games boosting her career total to seven.
•Makenna Gottschalk recorded four saves bringing her season total to 27, though she conceded her first goal in the last 326 minutes of game action.
• The game was a battle, featuring tough physical play and some chirping. 12 total fouls were called during the match, including a trio of yellow cards: Rob Baarts (55'), Jenna Shepherd (63'), Landy Williams (90').

By the Numbers.
• NM State is tied for fourth in the WAC standings with one of the longest unbeaten streaks in the conference (3-0-1).
• The Aggies are top-five in points (44), assists (16), and sixth in goals (14)
• After a quartet of assists in the past two games, Xitlaly Hernandez is tied for second in the conference.
• Sydnee Johnson currently ranks ninth in the WAC in shots (15) and tied for 10th in shots per game (2.14).
• Makenna Gottschalk is second in the conference for shutouts (3), tied for third in goals against average (1.00) and fourth in save percentage (.794).
• This marks the Aggies first tie to open conference play since October 6^th, 2017, when the Crimson & White battled to a 2-2 draw in a double overtime affair with Cal State Bakersfield. NM State is 2-2-1 over their last five conference opening matches.

Scouting Seattle U | 4-4-1, 1-0 WAC | Roster | Schedule | 
• The Redhawks are 3-1-1 in home and neutral site games but struggle on the road, going 1-3-0.
• Seattle rolls into Las Cruces on a two-game winning streak after defeating Sam Houston 3-0 Friday in Huntsville, Texas.
• Seattle U outshot Sam Houston 13-7, including nine to four in shots on goal. 
• Goalkeeper Jessica Berlin ranks fifth in the WAC for saves (25) and seventh in saves per game (3.57)
• Senior midfielder Monique Nagel is tied for fifth in the conference in assists (3) and scored her first goal of the season in Friday's game.
• Jolie St. Louis and Brooke Wilson lead the team in goals with three apiece.
• Preseason All-WAC selection Emily Bunnell has tallied three shots and one shot on goal this season.
• Seattle U is outscoring their opponents this season 15-10.

Next Up
Following their match against Seattle U, NM State will travel to the Lone Star State for a game against UTRGV on Friday, September 23^rd, and a match with Stephen F. Austin on Sunday, September 25^th. The Aggies will return to Las Cruces and play host to Tarleton State on Friday, September 30^th beginning a three game home stretch culminating in Senior Day on Friday, October 7^th against Southern Utah.

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