TEMPE, Ariz. — NM State heads west on Sunday to face Arizona State at Sun Devil Soccer Stadium, looking to halt their losing streak. The Aggies will square off against a Sun Devils squad that enters the contest unbeaten with three wins and a draw on the season.
 
WHO: NM State (1-4-0) vs. Arizona State (3-0-1)
WHERE: Sun Devil Soccer Stadium
WHEN: Sunday, August 31, at 8 p.m. MT
 
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.
 
Last Game...
NM State took on current Big 12 leader, the Colorado Buffs and ultimately fell 4-1 in Boulder, Colo.. The Aggies powered in their third goal of the season off a Corner kick from Miliana Eyrich and tipped in by Tessa O'neill late in the second half.
 
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 Johannes, Meredith Scott and Ariana Ellison. 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.
 
Meredith Making Her Mark...
Meredith Scott has scored two goals in the Aggies' regular season thus far, with the Aggies' previous goals 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 last 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.
 
Outstanding Freshman...
Tessa O'Neill has marked her first career goal as an Aggie, punched in the final minutes of play against the Colorado Buffs. She had also recorded her first career assist earlier in the season against Colorado College, swiping away the ball from the Tigers to give a Meredith Scott an open look in the Aggies' season opener.
 
Against the Sun Devils...
The Aggies will meet Arizona State Sun Devils in Tempe on Sunday to make NM State's four consecutive Power Four opponent thus far.
 
Arizona State sits in top 5 of the Big 12 conference with zero losses. The team ranks 12th in the nation in assists per game and first in their conference in shot accuracy.
 
The Sun Devils current scoring leaders are Sierra Bergen and Tetum Thomason who each share a pair of goals.
 
Watch the Aggies...
The two squads will play in Tempe, Ariz. at 8 p.m. MT on Sunday. Fans can watch on ESPN+ at 7 p.m. MT to support our Aggies.
 
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).