LAS CRUCES, N.M.- The Aggies are set to host the 2025 season opener against the Colorado College Tigers tomorrow at 7 p.m at the NM State Soccer Athletic Complex. This will mark the beginning of the eighth year under the leadership of Head Coach Rob Baarts. This will also be the first of ten non-conference games this season before the Aggies open their third year in Conference USA.

WHO: NM State (0-0-0) vs. Colorado College (0-0-0)
WHERE: NM State Soccer Athletic Complex
WHEN: Thursday, August 14 at 7:00 p.m.

Last Year's Record…
The Aggies finished third in the CUSA regular season standings with a record of five wins, two losses, and two ties. They also went 1-for-2 in the CUSA tournament held at FIU in Miami, Fla., after defeating Jax State in the first round to qualify to the CUSA semi finals where they fell to Liberty in the final minutes of play.

Preseason Watchlist…
Jena Johannes was named to the 2025 Preseason All-Conference team after her spectacular defensive performance last season. With a strong outing against Gonzaga on Sept. 12 and Middle Tennessee on Sept. 29, she was able to pick up two Defensive Player of the Week honors for the Aggies. Last year, Johannes ranked also second in minutes among all Aggie field players.

Guess Who's Back, Back Again…
The Aggies were able to return 22 players from last year's roster and tacked on nine newcomers. Returning in the box is Valerie Guha, who had an incredible season last year as she picked up a Goalie of the Week award against Gonzaga on Sept. 12. Coming back from a severe injury which kept her off the field last year is Bianca Chacon. Chacon previously led the Aggies in season assists before Alum, Loma McNeese. The El Paso midfielder will be a strong asset off the ball. This also includes four other individuals who earned a spot in the starting lineup in more than half of the team's contests last season as Marlee Cavitt, Jena Johanes, Meredith Scott and Ariana Ellison. In total, the Aggies bring back a total of 60.6% (11,941/19,706) of the team's minutes from a season ago.

One of Us…
NM State includes just one transfer athlete, Amaya Simoni-Walters, from Saint Mary's College. She competed in three seasons for them and played in eight matches last year. The team also consists of eight freshmen to fill out the rest of this year's roster. These players include Ainsleigh Thomson, Evelyn Grossman, Doriela Norzagaray, Esme Arenas, Arleth Arroya, Sophie Rush, Tessa O'Neill, and Yayu Wu who is from Taichung, Taiwan.

Bianca is Back...
Bianca Chacon, who missed all of last year due to injury, last played a major role for the CUSA Champion Aggies during the 2023 season. In 2023, she led the Aggies in assists (seven) and currently ranks second in program history in career assists (16). After a year long recovery, she enters the field for the Crimson and White once again.

Against the Tigers...
This matchup marks the first time these two squads have met. Coached by Keri Sanchez, she helped lead the Tigers to a 8-9-3 record which were the most wins for Colorado College since 2019.

Feels Good to be Home...
The game between the two opponents will be hosted by the Aggies at the NM State Soccer Complex tomorrow. Fans can watch on ESPN+ as it will be broadcasted by Adam Young and Heidi Moccia.


For complete coverage of NM State Soccer, visit NMStateSports.com - the official home of Aggie Athletics – and follow us on Twitter (@NMStateWSOC), Instagram (@NMStateWSOC), and like us on FaceBook (@NMStateWSOC).
 

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