LAS CRUCES, N.M. – The Aggies (6-5-1, 3-0-0 CUSA) are off to one of their hottest starts in program history. For the first time since the program's inaugural season in 2009, the Aggies are 3-0 to start league action.
 
Head Coach Rob Baarts helped lead his squad to its third-straight win as they fended off a feisty Middle Tennessee (3-7-2, 0-3 CUSA) team – defeating the Blue Raiders 3-2 on a warm night at the NM State Soccer Complex.
 
For the Crimson & White, two of the three goals came from Aggie reserves as both sophomore Mya Gonzalez and freshman Shila Rasoul put balls past the Blue Raider keeper. Meanwhile, the lone starter to score a goal was midfielder Brooke Schultz who recorded her first points of the season.
 
On the opposite end, the Aggies turned in a strong performance as a unit – allowing Middle Tennessee to get off just six goals while only three landed on goal. As a team, the Aggies out shot the Blue Raiders 19-6 while producing nine corner kicks compared to Middle Tennessee's two corner attempts.
 
FIRST HALF
The Aggies nearly broke through during the 18^th minute of action when Loma McNeese put a shot on goal that initially got through the hands of the MTSU goalkeeper, however, she immediately reached back to stop the ball from crossing the goal line.
 
20 minutes later, McNeese would be involved in yet another Aggie scoring opportunity as she pressured a Blue Raider defender along the end line before poking the ball loose and in the direction of Mya Gonzalez who rocketed a shot into the top of the goal.
 
The Aggies' momentum was almost immediately gone as Middle Tennessee evened the score just one minute and eight seconds later when a MTSU corner kick resulted in a header of the left post – leaving the ball at the feet of Sascha Nielsen who put a shot past Valerie Guha.
 
SECOND HALF
Following a few second-half adjustments, NM State retook the lead only one minute into the second period as Shila Rasoul sent a shot into the top left corner of the goal from a nearly impossible angle on the right side of the goalie box.
 
As they did after the first Aggie goal, the Blue Raiders quickly responded with a goal of their own – scoring a little over four minutes later.
 
Aggie leader Bianca Chacon generated a great opportunity for the Aggies in the 65^th minute of play when her pressure created a free kick from about 30 yards out. After earning the free kick, Chacon turned into the free kick taker – sending a ball into the box where Brooke Shultz used her chest to put a shot past the Middle Tennessee goalkeeper. This would be the Aggies' third goal of the night and the deciding factor.
 
NUMBERS OF NOTE

• In their first year as members of Conference USA, the Aggies are off to their hottest start since 2009 at 3-0. With nine points to its name, NM State also sits atop the conference standings through two weeks of league action. Dating back to last season when the Aggies resided in the Western Athletic Conference, NM State has now won five straight conference games.
• With an assist for the third straight game, Bianca Chacon has now managed two separate three-game stretches with assists in each outing. In total, Chacon has a team-high six assists on the season and ranks first in program history with 15 career assists across two and a half seasons with the team.
• With an assist on the Aggies' first goal of the night, Loma McNeese now has three assists in the last three games, including two in the Aggies' CUSA opener against Louisiana Tech.
• Tonight's three-goal effort marks the third straight game in which the Aggies have score multiple goals and the sixth game of the season with two or more goals.
• With three different goal scorers on Saturday night, Aggie attackers have yet to have a single match in 2023 in which one player scores multiple goals.