HUNTSVILLE, Texas – Playing five home matches in their previous six contests, NM State returned to the road for a Sunday afternoon match with CUSA foe Sam Houston. A scoreless first half gave way to an explosive second frame, with all three goals scored in a span of eight minutes as NM State fell 2-1.
A high-intensity first half saw the Aggies find a groove offensively in the early goings, earning a corner kick in the 8
th minute, while seconds later
Milly Eyrich tallied the first shot of the contest – though it was blocked by the Sam Houston defense. Another corner kick saw
Zoey Gist attack the net, tallying a shot on goal while Bearkat keeper Hannah Stipp made the save.
Making her second start of the season, senior Aggie goalie
Emilia Compian faced her first of 10 first-half shots in the 13
th minute, watching it miss wide for an NM State corner kick.
The teams continued to trade offensive jabs in the opening 45 minutes, with
Sydnee Johnson and
Esme Arenas recording a pair of shots in the half, including an attempt in the 26
th minute by Johnson that fell on target but could not find the back of the net.
With the score tied 0-0 at halftime, NM State posted nine shots – the most in a single half for the Aggies this season – though trailed Sam Houston in shots 10-9, while leading in saves (5-2), corner kicks (2-1) and fouls (6-5).
Just five minutes in the half, Sam Houston earned their lone yellow card of the night – giving the Aggies a free kick.
Gabi Hislop posted a shot off the try, though it went wide.
Esme Arenas and
Zoey Gist knocked shots toward the Bearkat goal, though could not put the ball through the net. The Bearkats' Ellie Morgan broke through and scored the first goal of the match in the 64
th minute, putting Sam Houston ahead 1-0.
A trio of shots on goal saw NM State knocking on the door of an equalizer, though Sam Houston would add their second goal moments after a free kick, to make it 2-0 in favor of the home team.
36 seconds later, a corner kick from the near side of the pitch rolled out to the opposite end, where junior
Daniela Portillo corralled it, sending it in towards the goal – where senior defender
Kennedy Herrera headed it up and into the net for her first goal of the season.
Trailing 2-1 with nearly 20 minutes remaining, both sides battled to punch another shot home.
Marlee Cavitt forced a Sam Houston save in the 87
th minute, but as the final buzzer sounded, the Aggies dropped the match 2-1.
With the loss, NM State falls to 1-3-0 in conference action. Posting 20 shots as a team on Sunday afternoon, this became a new season high for the Crimson & White, and most in a single match since Oct. 11, 2025 against LA Tech (22). This also marks the first time NM State has outshot an opponent this season. Eight shots on goal also rank as a new season high.
Daniela Portillo recorded her first career assist on Sunday, becoming the fifth different Aggie to tally a helper this season.
Esme Arenas tallied five shots on the day, a new career best for the sophomore and highest since
Ariana Leamons posted five in a match against LA Tech in 2025.
UP NEXT
The Aggies will return to action on Sunday, Oct. 18, hosting Missouri State from the NM State Soccer Complex in Las Cruces. This marks the first visit to Las Cruces for the Lady Bears since joining the conference in 2025. First kick is slated for 1 p.m. MT, with live stats available at nmstatesports.com/stats.
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).
##NM State##
