LAS CRUCES, N.M. – Rob Baarts and NM State women's soccer have just unveiled the lineup of opponents for their upcoming 2023 season. The comprehensive 17-game schedule encompasses a mix of nine home and eight road matchups, including eight conference bouts.
 
The 2022 Western Athletic Conference (WAC) Champions are looking to carry the success of last season into their new home in Conference USA (CUSA) this season. Last fall, the Aggies reached new heights after winning a program-high 13 games, including an undefeated record at home (7-0-2), leading to the program's first conference title and first postseason appearance.
 
Now that NM State is officially a member of CUSA, they will have to familiarize themselves with a few new faces, specifically the likes of FIU, Jacksonville State, Liberty, Louisiana Tech, Middle Tennessee and Western Kentucky. The Aggies are already familiar with UTEP and Sam Houston, having played UTEP 12 times over the last 13 years and sharing a conference (WAC) with Sam Houston for the previous two years. The Aggies are slated to face all eight conference opponents this season.
 
The Aggies 2023 campaign kicks off on August 10th with a home exhibition against Cochise College - a two-year public institution located in Douglas, Arizona. From there, NM State will begin its regular season with back-to-back road matchups against Portland State (8/17) and Texas Tech (8/20). Last season, The Vikings made the trip down to Las Cruces, where they fell to the Aggies 3-0 after seeing goals from Sydnee Johnson, Loma McNeese and Bianca Chacon. This will mark the first time since 2012 the Aggies and Red Raiders will meet in the regular season. The two teams met this past spring for an exhibition that saw Texas Tech take a 1-0 victory over the Aggies in Lubbock.
 
Following their trip to West Texas, the Aggies will face another power-five opponent in Arizona State for their home opener on August 24th - the first of five straight games played at the NM State Soccer Complex. Aside from facing the Sun Devils, the five-game home stand will also include Cal State Fullerton (8/27), Incarnate Word (8/31), University of the Pacific (9/3) and UNLV (9/7). NM State also met with Cal State Fullerton last season in Fullerton, Calif., which saw the two sides finish the match with a 1-1 draw after 90 minutes of action.
 
The Aggies wrap up their non-conference slate with a pair of road matchups against New Mexico (9/10) and USC (9/14). This will mark the 12th meeting between the Aggies and Lobos in the Rio Grande Rivalry - the first since the Fall 2021 season – however, the two teams did meet during the spring in Albuquerque, where the Aggies came away with a 5-1 victory. This will also be the first time the Aggies take on the Trojans in a regular season matchup bringing them to three power five – two PAC-12 – opponents on their 2023 season schedule.
 
NM State will open CUSA play on September 17th with a home match against Louisana Tech before heading south for a date with UTEP on September 21st for the battle of I-10. The Aggies secured a 3-0 shutout victory against the Miners last season and came away with a 4-0 shutout win in their spring exhibition back in March.
 
Moving into the latter part of the season, NM State will return to Las Cruces to take on Middle Tennessee (9/24) for some Sunday afternoon action before hitting the road again for another pair of conference games against Liberty (9/30) and Jacksonville State (10/8).
 
NM State returns home on October 12th, where they are set to host Florida International - the Aggies' furthest CUSA opponent in terms of millage. Following their date with the Panthers, the Aggies will have a bye week before returning home for senior day on October 22nd against Sam Houston. The Aggies took home a 1-0 victory against the Bearkats last season, making them 1-1 against Sam Houston all-time.
 
Finally, the Aggies will round out their 2023 regular season on October 27th with a trip to Western Kentucky to take on the Hilltoppers for the 17th and final game of their schedule. The CUSA Tournament is scheduled to begin Wednesday, November 1st, and run through Sunday, November 5th, where six teams will battle it out for an automatic bid to the NCAA Women's Soccer Tournament. This year's Conference Tournament will be held in Ruston, Louisiana, home of the Louisiana Tech Lady Techsters.
 
COMPLETE SCHEDULE
 
August
8/10 – vs. Cochise College (Exhibition)
8/17 – at Portland State
8/20 – at Texas Tech
8/24 – vs. Arizona State
8/27 – vs. Cal State Fullerton
8/31 – vs. Incarnate Word
 
September
9/3 – vs. University of the Pacific
9/7 – vs. UNLV
9/10 – at New Mexico
9/14 – at USC
9/17 – vs. Louisiana Tech (CUSA)
9/21 – at UTEP (CUSA)
9/24 – vs. Middle Tennessee (CUSA)
9/30 – at Liberty (CUSA)
October
10/8 – at Jacksonville State (CUSA)
10/12 – vs. Florida International (CUSA)
10/22 – vs. Sam Houston (CUSA)
10/27 – at Western Kentucky (CUSA)
 
November
Conference USA Tournament Nov. 1-5
 
*Home Matches Listed in BOLD