LAS CRUCES, N.M. – The Aggies hosted rival UTEP in a Thursday night contest that served as Senior Night for the Crimson & White. In front of a season-best crowd of 1,515, the Aggies tallied a 1-1 draw, the third tied contest in a row between the Aggies and Miners.
Earning her first start in Saturday's contest with New Mexico,
Thalia Smith scored the lone NM State goal in Thursday's match. In the 32
nd minute, a long ball launched off the foot of
Gabi Hislop past midfield landed at the foot of
Esme Arenas. Moving to the right side of the field, Smith launched a cross-body strike that slipped beyond the grasp of UTEP goalkeeper Savanah Finley.
This became Smith's first collegiate goal, Arenas' first assist of the season, and Hislop's first assist at the Division I level.
Leading 1-0 at the halftime break for the first time this year, the Aggies also led in saves (2-0), while UTEP held the advantage in shots (6-4) and corner kicks (3-1).
With heated tensions during the match between rival schools, a recharged Miners' squad found the back of the net just seven minutes into half two. Knotted at one goal apiece, the two teams continued to battle throughout the duration of the contest – with a trio of yellow cards assessed to the Aggies, and 13 total fouls committed in the closing 45 minutes.
Finishing in a 1-1 draw, this became the second consecutive tie of the season for the Aggies, and third straight in the series between NM State and UTEP.
QUOTABLES
Head Coach Rob Baarts, following the rivalry meeting with UTEP: "Honestly, I'm proud of these girls. We're battling now. There's a section of that we just didn't have at the beginning of the year. You know our cohesiveness, bringing our crew in, a lot of transfers and true freshman. So for a freshman to score her first goal, is massive for us.
It's not great that we got a tie, but we pushed hard at the end, and I felt like we had a chance to take the win in the last 10 minutes. I'm super proud of the girls battling through the last 10 minutes and trying to get the win."
Freshman Thalia Smith, on her first collegiate goal: "Firstly, I am so thankful to be a part of this team. To score my first collegiate goal against UTEP, it's a crazy feeling, and one that I will remember for the rest of my life."
UP NEXT
The Aggies play their third consecutive home contest, taking on Northern Arizona at the NM State Soccer Complex on Sunday, Sept. 20. First kick is slated for 1 p.m. MT, with live stats for Sunday's match 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).
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