LAS CRUCES, N.M.- NM State will challenge the Wildcats at home in hopes of picking up its second consecutive win after defeating Abilene Christian on Sunday. This match will kick off a tough stretch of the Aggies' schedule as the squad takes on five power four teams in a row.
 
WHO: NM STATE (1-1-0) vs. Arizona (2-0-0)
WHERE: NM State Soccer Athletic Complex
WHEN: Thursday, August 21 at 7 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 semifinals where they fell to Liberty in the final minutes of play.
 
Last Game...
The Aggies claimed their first victory of the season after defeating Abilene Christian by way of a shutout. Once again, the Aggies lone goal production came from senior Meredith Scott who knocked in a header from Amaya Simoni-Walters' corner kick.
 
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.
 
Fresh Faces...
Tallying their first minutes as Aggies were Ainsleigh Thomson and Yayu Wu, who both contributed with double figure minutes. With Thomson and Wu making an appearance, four true freshman have now checked into a game for Head Coach Rob Baarts this season.
 
Meredith Making Her Mark...
Meredith Scott has scored four goals in the Aggies' last five contests, dating back to the regular season finale against UTEP (Oct. 31, 2024).
 
THATS OUR KEEPER! ...
Valerie Guha was named CUSA Goalkeeper of the Week after her 10th career shutout on Sunday. With this performance, she becomes only the second Aggie in program history with double-digit shutouts (Makenna Gottschalk, 14). She has now moved into fifth in all-time saves. Guha is also tied with former Aggie, Loma McNeese, for most weekly awards won by NM State as a member of CUSA.
 
Against the Wildcats...
This will mark the third time these two teams have clashed in regular season play. Arizona currently leads the series 2-0 against the Aggies, heading into Thursday's match. The Wildcats remain undefeated with a 2-0 record after a pair of wins last week.
 
Leading the team in scoring is forward Aurora Gaines who powered in a goal in both of Arizona's matches last week. Olivia Ramey, Arizona's lone goalkeeper to play, has recorded two shutouts in two games this year.
 
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+ with Scott Galetti (play-by-play) and Heidi Moccia (color analyst) on the call.
 
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).