Last Chance: The New Mexico State soccer team concludes its inaugural regular season with a pair of WAC matches. The Aggies host Nevada, Friday, Oct. 30, at 7 p.m. at Aggie Memorial Stadium. NM State is honoring seniors Katie Graul and Cristianna Smith at the match and attempting to break the WAC single-match attendance record. The Aggies finish the regular season at Utah State, Sunday, Nov. 1, at 1 p.m. in Logan, Utah.
Seeding: The final weekend of WAC play is vital to the Aggies. They are currently in second place with two conference matches remaining with a 4-1-1 record. NM State has qualified for the WAC Tournament. The Aggies would have a first-round bye if they finish in the top two spots in the league standings.
Cajun Recap: Freshman midfielder Kassie Martinez scored her first career goal at Louisiana Tech, Oct. 23, but NM State fell in double overtime, 2-1. With less than two minutes in regulation, Martinez tied the match at 1-1 to force extra time.
Nevada: The Wolf Pack is 6-11-0 overall and 3-3-0 in the WAC. Nevada defeated Hawai’i, 2-1, in Honolulu, Oct. 23. The Wolf Pack is a balanced scoring team with junior midfielder Jill Erickson and sophomore midfielder Natalie Ratnavira both posting a team-high four goals this season.
Utah State: The Navy-clad Aggies are 8-8-2 this year with a 3-2-1 conference record after falling, 3-1, at Hawai’i, Oct. 25. They host Louisiana Tech, Friday, Oct. 30, before meeting NM State, Sunday. Sophomore forward Shantel Flanary has a team-high eight goals for Utah State this season.
Conference Competition: The Aggies lead the WAC in saves (104) and saves per game (6.50). The Aggies are second in the league in attendance with an average of 1,145 fans per match.
Individually, senior goalkeeper Katie Graul ranks first in the WAC in saves (100) and saves per game (6.25), while she is third in save percentage (.840). She also had a WAC-best 14 saves versus Idaho State. Freshman defender Yolanda McMillion is tied for a conference-high three game-winning goals.
In WAC matches only, the Aggies are tied for first in shutouts (3). They are second in goals (9), goals per game (1.50), goals allowed (5) and goals against average (0.75). NM State ranks third in saves (36).
Additionally, freshmen midfielders Lauren Cope and Jazmin Cardoso are tied for fifth in goals (3) and tied for seventh in points (6). Cope is tied for first in game-winning goals (2). She is third in goals per game (0.60) and fourth in points per game (1.20). Graul ranks first in saves (36), saves per game (6.00) and shutouts (3). She is No. 3 in goals against average (0.75) and save percentage (.878). Freshman forward Crystal Burns is second in assists (2) and tied for third in assists per game (0.33).
Tidbits: The Aggies had a seven match unbeaten streak, 6-0-1, until falling at Louisiana Tech, Oct. 23. NM State won its first conference road contest 2-0 at Fresno State. Since Colorado State-Pueblo, Sept. 4, the Aggies had won nine of its last 12 matches including the first tie in school history. NM State has collected four shutouts this season and played in seven overtime matches with a 3-3-1 record.
Riding the Wave: NM State won its fourth league contest of the season when freshman midfielder Jazmin Cardoso sank a penalty kick with 35 seconds remaining in overtime for a 2-1 win over Hawai’i, Oct. 18. The kick was set-up when sophomore forward Natalie Nichols drew a foul in the box. Freshman forward Crystal Burns scored her first conference goal in the 82nd minute for the first goal of the match. In their fifth overtime match, the Aggies are now 3-2-1 this season in extra time.
Protecting the Goal: Freshman defender Elise Nordin paced the Aggie defense to a 2-1 win over Hawai’i. Nordin played all 100 minutes and only allowed the Rainbow Wahine two shots in the first half. With only one corner kick given up, Nordin stifled the Hawai’i offense to only five shots on goal and a total of 15 shots in the overtime match.
Cardoso is Clutch: Freshman midfielder Jazmin Cardoso sank a penalty kick with 35 seconds remaining in overtime to give New Mexico State a 2-1 win over Hawai’i. She leads the team with six goals this season. For the year, Cardoso is 3-for-3 in penalty kicks. Against the Rainbow Wahine, she played all 100 minutes and recorded two shots on goal.
Big Time: Senior goalkeeper Katie Graul continues to deny opponents. She recorded her first career shutout in the first conference victory against Boise State. Graul also has shutouts against Fresno State and San Jose State in WAC play.
Sharing the Wealth: This season, 10 Aggies have scored goals. Freshman midfielder Jazmin Cardoso leads the team in goals (6) and points (12). Freshman forward Crystal Burns and junior midfielder Baili Foutz guide the Aggies in assists (3). Offensively, NM State is at its best when taking charge. The Aggies are 4-0 with a halftime lead and also 6-0 when scoring first.
In the Cards: In the 16 matches this season, the Aggies have four players consistently in the line-up. Freshmen Jazmin Cardoso, Courtney Irwin and Elise Nordin, along with senior Katie Graul in the net, have started all 16 contests.
Amazing Attendance: When NM State hosted Idaho State, Aug. 23, in the home opener, 1,343 fans were in attendance. The Aggies are currently in second in attendance numbers in the WAC with an average of 1,145 fans in six matches.
Northern Draw: NM State recorded its first tie in program history with a 0-0 finish in double overtime at San Jose State, Oct. 11, in San Jose, Calif. For the second consecutive contest, senior goalkeeper Katie Graul posted a shutout. She led the Aggie defense with a match-high six saves, including two in the second overtime.
Victorious Visitors: The Aggies beat Fresno State, 2-0, Oct. 9, in Fresno, Calif. The Aggies recorded their second shutout in three WAC matches. Freshman midfielder Lauren Cope gave the Aggies a 1-0 advantage with her third goal of the season in the 14th minute on cross from freshman forward Crystal Burns. The assist was Burns’ third of the year. Freshman midfielder Jazmin Cardoso scored on a penalty kick in the 86th minute.
Awards: Senior goalkeeper Katie Graul was named the WAC Defensive Player of the Week, for her play for the week of Oct. 5-11. She posted two shutouts in her first two career WAC road matches. At Fresno State, she collected six saves in NM State’s 2-0 victory. Graul then held San Jose State scoreless through 110 minutes and tallied six saves to record the 0-0 double-overtime tie.
Exceeding Expectations: In only their first year of existence, the Aggies are defying the odds. Currently, NM State has a 129 NCAA RPI ranking, that mark is second in the WAC. The Aggies are also No. 48 in the TopDrawerSoccer.com Women’s Tournament 64 Rankings.
WAC Debut: The Aggies won their first-ever WAC match with a 1-0 decision over Boise State in overtime, Oct. 2, in Las Cruces, N.M. Only two minutes into overtime, freshman midfielder Lauren Cope scored in a scramble to give the Aggies their first conference victory. The lone goal of the match was Cope’s first career score. The match was also the Aggies second shutout of the year and senior goalkeeper Katie Graul’s career first.
Round Two: NM State improved to 2-0 in WAC play with a 3-2 win over Idaho, Oct. 4, in Las Cruces, N.M. The Aggies had a strong second half effort with three goals to tie a season-high performance. Trailing 2-0 at the half, freshman midfielder Jazmin Cardoso, freshman midfielder Lauren Cope and freshman defender Yolanda McMillion scored in the second half to lift the Aggies over the Vandals. Defensively, senior goalkeeper Katie Graul anchored the team with nine saves and seven in the final 45 minutes of action.
Honored: Freshman midfielder Lauren Cope was named the WAC Offensive Player of the Week for her play, Sept. 28-Oct. 4. She scored two goals to guide the Aggies to a pair of conference wins over Boise State, in overtime, Oct. 2, and Idaho, Oct. 4, in Las Cruces. Against Boise State, Cope gave NM State a 1-0 decision in overtime with her first career goal. She also scored against Idaho to tie the match at 2-2, eventually leading to NM State’s 3-2 victory. Overall, Cope had two goals and four points on three shots on goal. Additionally, she posted a .600 shots on goal percentage.
A Solid Foundation: The Aggies first shutout was against Texas-Permian Basin, Sept. 16. The team held Colorado State-Pueblo to a season-low six shots and only two shots on goal, Sept. 4.
Signed and Sealed: Freshman defender Yolanda McMillion has scored three goals this season. And all of them have been vital, game-winning shots. She ended matches against Idaho, Oct. 4, Lamar, Sept. 25, and Air Force, Sept. 6.
Hardware: NM State concluded its non-conference slate with a pair of wins over Lamar, 2-1, Sept. 25, and Northwestern State, 2-1, Sept. 27, to claim the Lamar Soccer Classic Championship, which is the first tournament title in program history for the Aggies.
For the Record Books: NM State won its first home match in program history with a 3-0 decision over Texas-Permian Basin, Sept. 16 at Aggie Memorial Stadium in Las Cruces, N.M. Despite the windy conditions, the Aggies recorded their first shutout and tied a season high with three goals. Freshmen midfielders Veronica Subu and Jazmin Cardoso along with freshman forward Crystal Burns scored for the Aggies.
Streaking: The Aggies had their first winning streak of the season, two matches, at Colorado State-Pueblo, 2-1, Sept. 4 and Air Force, 3-2, in overtime, Sept. 6. Junior defender Nina Yanes led the Aggies with two goals.
Hurdles: NM State earned its first win in program history at CSU-Pueblo, 2-1, Sept. 4. Junior defender Nina Yanes scored for the Aggies with less than two minutes remaining in regulation to break a 1-1 tie. Yanes’ game-wining score in the 88th minute was a rocket from 25 yards that was the first of her NM State career. Freshman midfielder Jazmin Cardoso also had her first goal of the season in the win.
Over and Out: Not only did junior defender Nina Yanes and freshman defender Yolanda McMillion score their first career goals as Aggies against Colorado State-Pueblo and Air Force, respectively, but they were also game-winning scores.
First Score: Freshman forward Crystal Burns wrote her name in the Aggie history books with the first-ever goal scored in school history. She knocked in a great shot from 18 yards to force overtime with Idaho State, Aug. 23.
Program Debut: The soccer program is the 17th intercollegiate sport sponsored at NM State. The WAC now has all nine members with a women’s soccer program. Soccer is the second sport added at NM State in the last five years. Women’s equestrian began competing in the 2005-06 season.
Next Up: The Aggies travel to Boise, Idaho, for the 2009 WAC Tournament, Nov. 5-6, 8.
Courtesy: Richard Chavez
