LAS CRUCES, NM— The Aggies continue Conference USA action this weekend with a first-time matchup against Delaware, as the Aggies look to build momentum after week one of league play. NM State enters the contest sitting ahead of the Blue Hens in the CUSA standings, adding early-season significance to the meeting.
 
WHO: NM State (1-9-1) vs. Delaware (7-1-2)
WHEN: Thursday, Sept. 25 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...
The Aggies finished the conference opener with a tie against Sam Houston. After taking an early 2-0 deficit in the first half of the game, Esme Arenas powered in her first goal as an Aggie to cut the lead in half. At the 68-minute mark, Amaya Simoni-Walters also scored her first Aggie goal off of a free kick feed from Bianca Chacon for the equalizer. Chacon also assisted the Arenas goal earlier in the contest. After surpassing Loma McNeese, Chacon now moved into first as NM State's all-time assist leader with 20 across her five-year career as an Aggie. She also now has four assists on the year which ranks tied for first among all CUSA players.
 
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.
 
Stacking Up Against the Nation...
The Aggies currently rank eighth in the nation in shot accuracy (.570), highlighted by Amaya Simoni-Walters who boasts an .833 shot on goal percentage to pace all Aggies with at least five shot attempts. In the last two games alone, the Aggies have maintained a shot accuracy of .684, putting 13 of their 19 shot attempts on frame.
 
The Aggies also rank third in CUSA in saves per game (4.82), led by junior goalkeeper Valerie Guha, who accounts for 48 of the squad's 50 saves this season. Guha has improved this average as of late, coming up with five saves in two of the Aggies' last three games.
 
Protecting Our Turf...
Heading into their second conference home game this week, NM State hasn't lost at home to a conference opponent since 2021, and holds a home record of 9-0-5 across the last three seasons. This includes a 6-0-3 record since joining CUSA. To find the Aggies' last home loss, you would have to go back to Oct. 28, 2021, when they fell to Utah Valley.
 
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 double-digit shutouts (Makenna Gottschalk, 14). Last week, Guha moved into fourth in all-time saves in program history (153), passing former Aggies goalie Jessica Schutter. She is now 58 saves away from surpassing Gottschalk and moving into third all-time.
 
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 sits in second within CUSA in total saves. She also leads the conference in minutes played by a goalie and ranks eighth among the nation.  Her 48 total saves this year also ranks 22nd in the nation.
 
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 Blue Hens...
The two teams face off for the first time in the history of their programs. Despite the Blue Hens finishing non-conference play with a 7-0-2 record, NM State's tie against Sam Houston last weekend puts the Aggies in front of Delaware in the CUSA standings through one match.
 
Leading the Blue Hens in scoring is Maggie Groh and Adiat Olaogun-Dickson who each have recorded four goals. Groh also leads the team in assists (3).
 
Feels good to be home...
The match will be played on the Aggies' turf as they look to host Delaware for the first time in program history. Broadcasting for the game will be Scott Galetti for play-by-play with Heidi Moccia alongside as analyst. Fans can watch on the ESPN+ at 7 p.m. MT.
 
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