LAS CRUCES, N.M. — NM State kicks off its Conference USA slate Thursday night when it hosts Sam Houston at the NM State Soccer Athletic Complex. The Aggies open league play against a Bearkats squad that carries a 3-3-1 record into Las Cruces, setting the stage for an early test in the conference season.
 
WHO: NM State (1-9-0) vs Sam Houston (3-3-1)
WHEN: Thursday, Sept. 20 at 7 p.m. MT
WHERE: NM State Soccer Athletic Complex
 
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 for the CUSA semifinals where they fell to Liberty in the final minutes of play.
 
Last Game...
NM State closed out the non-conference season after taking a loss to Long Beach, 2-1.  At the 32 minute mark, Mya Gonzales powered in her first goal of the season coming off of an assist by Amaya Simoni-Walters. Though the Aggies managed to tie up the Beach before the half, they were unable to capitalize after Natelle El Mokbel found the back of the net to take the lead once again at 48 minutes.
 
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 is 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 make their return. 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.
 
THATS OUR KEEPER! ...
Valerie Guha was named CUSA Goalkeeper of the Week after her 10th career shutout during the first week of play. With this performance, she became only the second Aggie in program history with doubledigit shutouts (Makenna Gottschalk, 14). Last week, Guha moved into fourth in all-time saves in program history (153), passing former Aggies goalie Jessica Schutter. Guha is also tied with former Aggie, Loma McNeese, for most weekly awards won by NM State as a member of CUSA. In the first seven games of the season, the German has had three or more saves in the Aggies' matches. Guha now sits in second within CUSA in total saves and 18th in the country. She also leads the conference in minutes played and ranks fifth among the nation. With her 44 saves thus far, NM State ranks second in the conference in saves per game.
 
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 Bearkats...
This will mark the sixth time now that NM State clashes with Sam Houston State. With two wins and a tie over the Bearkats, the series remains dead even against the two squads.
 
Four of the Bearkats have scored two goals this season including Tiana Johnson, who has taken 16 shot attempts so far.
 
Feels good to be home...
The match will be played on the Aggies' turf as they look to host Sam Houston for just the third time in program history. Broadcasting for the game will be Adam Young for Play-by-Play with Heidi Moccia alongside as Analyst. Fans can watch on the ESPN+ at 1 p.m. MT.

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