PHOENIX, Ariz.– The Aggies head to Phoenix, Arizona to take on the GCU Lopes in a Friday night exhibition to start the brand new 2025 season. NM State will then officially open the season at home when they play host to Colorado College on Thursday, Aug. 14.
 
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.
 
Gooble, Gobble, 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.
 
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.
 
Against the Lopes…
The Aggies will once again find themselves on the pitch with former WAC counterpart Grand Canyon. This will be the first time the two sides have met since 2022, when the Aggies knocked off the Lopes 2-1 to put an end to GCU's five-game win streak.
 
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