This Week: After three of its first four WAC matches on the road, the New Mexico State soccer team returns home to host Fresno State, Friday, Oct. 15 at 7 p.m. and San Jose State, Sunday, Oct. 17 at noon.

Last Week: The Aggies fell at Boise State, 6-0, Oct. 8, and at Idaho, 4-1, Oct. 10. Against the Vandals, sophomore midfielder/forward Lauren Cope put back a rebound to give the Aggies a 1-0 advantage in the first two minutes of the match. The goal was Cope’s second of the season, while freshman forward/defender Kristen Powers recorded her first career assist on the play. The Aggies also posted a season-high 12 saves at Idaho.

Fresno State: The Bulldogs are 4-7-2 and 0-2-0 in WAC play after a 1-0 loss to Hawai’i, Oct. 10. Nicole Duff and Laura Dodd are pacing the Fresno State offense with three goals each. Defensively, Kaitlyn Revel has 41 saves, .732 save percentage and 1.21 goals against average.

Series Notes: NM State has a 1-0 all-time lead in the series after a 2-0 win in Fresno, Calif., Oct. 9, 2009.

Previous Meeting: In the first WAC road match in school history, the Aggies beat Fresno State, 2-0, Oct. 9, 2009 in Fresno, Calif. Midfielder Lauren Cope gave the Aggies a 1-0 advantage in the 14th minute on cross from forward Crystal Burns. Midfielder Jazmin Cardoso scored on a penalty kick in the 86th minute to increase the Aggie lead, 2-0.

San Jose State: The Spartans are currently 7-5-1 and 1-0-1 in the WAC before their Oct. 15 meeting at Louisiana Tech. Kelsey Lord has a team-high five goals for San Jose State, while Meghan Maiwald has 52 saves, .765 save percentage and 1.19 goals against average.

Series Notes: The all-time series is tied 0-0-1 following a double overtime 0-0 tie, Oct. 11, 2009 in San Jose, Calif.

Previous Meeting: The Aggies recorded their first tie in program history with a 0-0 finish in double overtime at San Jose State, Oct. 11, 2009 in San Jose, Calif. Goalkeeper Katie Graul posted a shutout for the second consecutive match. She led the Aggie defense with a match-high six saves, including two in the second overtime.

Bits and Pieces: The match at Idaho was the Aggies’ first loss when they scored the first goal, and NM State is now 4-1-0 when it scores first. The Aggies also suffered their first loss when taking more corner kicks.

The match at Nevada was the fourth overtime contest of the year for NM State and third that reached double OT. Currently, NM State is 0-2-2 in overtime matches. The WAC opener was also the first time the Aggies allowed more than a single goal in a match. NM State then suffered its first loss at home this year with a 3-0 decision to Utah State in the conference home opener, Oct. 3.

A Tough Start: The Aggies opened WAC play with a tough 2-1 double overtime loss at Nevada, Oct. 1. Freshman forward/defender Kristen Powers scored her first WAC goal to tie the contest, 1-1, with five minutes remaining in regulation. In the defensive struggle, redshirt freshman Mikaela Bitner grabbed a career-high 11 saves.

Road Warriors: Sophomore forward/midfielder Crystal Burns gave the Aggies a 2-1 lead on a 30-yard strike with only 10 minutes left in regulation at Wyoming. The Aggies tied the match, 1-1, in the 63rd minute on sophomore midfielder/forward Lauren Cope’s first goal of the season. She blasted the ball into the top right corner of the net when Burns found her behind the defense. NM State’s four-match unbeaten streak was snapped at Northern Colorado with a 1-0 overtime loss. This was the first goal allowed in 429 minutes for the Aggies.

Among the Elite: In the NCAA rankings, the Aggies are No. 45 in scoring offense (3.17). Individually, sophomore midfielder/forward Crystal Burns is 16th in assists per game (0.54), 21st in assists (7.0) and 62nd in points per game (1.46) as of Oct. 10.

Against the Competition: The Aggies rank first in the WAC in saves (88) and assists per game (1.71). NM State is second in goals per game (2.07) and tied for second in points (82), assists (24) and corner kicks (73). The Aggies are No. 3 in goals (29) as of Oct. 11.

Individually, sophomore midfielder/forward Crystal Burns ranks first in assists per game (0.54) and second in assists (7). She is third in points per game (1.46) and tied for third in game-winning goals (3). Burns ranks fourth in goals per game (0.46) and fifth in points (19). She is also tied for fifth in goals (6). Burns is ninth in shots (32) and 10th in shots per game (2.46).

Sophomore forward Yolanda McMillion is tied for fifth in goals (6) and game-winning goals (2). She ranks seventh in goals per game (0.43), ninth in points per game (0.93) and tied for ninth in points (13).

Redshirt freshman goalkeeper Mikaela Bitner ranks first in saves per game (6.09) and second in saves (67). She is third in save percentage (.827) and fifth in shutouts per game (0.18). Bitner and freshman goalkeeper Erin Wosick are tied for fifth in shutouts (2).

In WAC matches only, the Aggies have a league-best 36 saves. Additionally, Bitner ranks first in saves (21). Bitner and Wosick are tied for first in saves per game (7.00).

Burn Notice: Sophomore forward/midfielder Crystal Burns was named Verizon WAC Offensive Player of the Week, for the week of Sept. 13-19. This is her first career honor, and she is the third Aggie to earn the recognition this season. Burns scored four goals and added three assists in a pair of wins for the Aggie soccer team over Alabama A&M, 8-0, Sept. 17, and Lamar, 4-0, Sept. 19. Against Alabama A&M, she scored two goals and added an assist, including her second game-winning goal of the season. It was her first-ever multiple-goal contest at NM State. In a 4-0 win over Lamar, Burns tallied two goals and two assists. She posted an impressive .833 shots on goal percentage in the final two non-conference matches of the season.

Home Fries: In the final two non-conference home matches of the season, the Aggies defeated Alabama A&M, 8-0, and Lamar, 4-0. NM State tied the school record for goals in a match against Alabama A&M. Sophomore midfielder/forward Crystal Burns scored a match-high two goals. NM State recorded its second consecutive shutout, and freshman goalkeeper Erin Wosick posted her second career shutout. In the win over Lamar, the Aggies recorded their third consecutive shutout, and Burns scored a pair of goals in the second straight match.

Protecting Home Turf: The Aggies went undefeated at home in non-conference play this season with a 5-0-2 record in seven matches. The first two overtime contests of the season occurred at home with 1-1 ties in double overtime to Northern Arizona and Montana.

Into the Net: The Aggie offense has been fierce this season with 29 goals scored in 12 matches. In 2009, NM State only scored 23 goals in 19 matches. The Aggies have also scored eight goals in a match twice this season against Prairie View A&M and Alabama A&M.

It’s a No-No: The Aggie defense didn’t allow a goal in the final three non-conference home matches (North Dakota, Alabama A&M and Lamar). NM State held Alabama A&M to three shots, a season-best mark. The Aggies also held both Alabama A&M and Lamar to two shots on goal, a season-best showing.

Bitner Recognized: Redshirt freshman goalkeeper Mikaela Bitner was named the Verizon WAC Defensive Player of the Week, for the week of Sept. 6-12. This is her first career honor. Bitner anchored the Aggie defense to a 1-0 shutout victory over North Dakota, Sept. 10. She collected her first career shutout behind a season-high nine saves. Bitner also posted a 1.000 save percentage in 90 minutes of play.

Quick Strike: Sophomore forward/midfielder Crystal Burns led the Aggies to a 1-0 win over North Dakota, Sept. 10, in Las Cruces, with her first goal of the season in the eighth minute of action. The score was also her first career game-winning goal at NM State.

Clutch Performance: For the second time, sophomore forward Yolanda McMillion tied the match for the Aggies with a second half goal against Northern Arizona. She also tied the contest with Montana at 1-1. Additionally, McMillion has two game-winning goals this season.

Title Town: NM State claimed its second tournament title in two years following a pair of wins over Prairie View A&M, 8-0, and Jacksonville State, 2-1, in the inaugural Hotel Encanto Aggie Classic in Las Cruces. Sophomore forward Yolanda McMillion led the Aggies with the first hat trick in school history with three goals in the tournament finale against Prairie View A&M. NM State posted its first shutout of the season in freshman goalkeeper Erin Wosick’s first career start. The Aggies won its first match of the season with a 2-1 victory over Jacksonville State, and McMillion scored the game-winning goal in the 64th minute. 

McMillion Honored: Sophomore forward Yolanda McMillion was named the WAC Offensive Player of the Week, Aug. 30. This is the first career honor for McMillion. She led the Aggies to the Hotel Encanto Aggie Classic title with the first hat trick in school history. McMillion scored three goals in NM State’s 8-0 victory against Prairie View A&M, Aug. 29. She also scored the game-winning goal in a 2-1 victory over Jacksonville State, Aug. 27. For the week, McMillion posted a team-high four goals, two game-winning goals, and eight points with a .714 shots on goal percentage. She also became the first Aggie in school history to score multiple goals in a single match.

Records Fall: In the win over Prairie View A&M, the Aggies set five new records including goals (eight), points (23), assists (7), shots on goal (20) and corner kicks (18). The Aggies also posted their first shutout of the season.

High Powered Offense: The Aggies set a school record for shots in a match with 29 against Jacksonville State.

Scoring Machines: Prior to the Prairie View A&M contest, the Aggies didn’t have a player score more than a single goal in a match. But that changed with sophomore forward Yolanda McMillion’s hat trick and a pair of goals from senior midfielder Baili Foutz and redshirt sophomore defender Heather Goldberg. The appearance against Prairie View A&M was Goldberg’s first showing in the Crimson and White.

Extra Time: In the season opener against Montana, Aug. 22, the Aggies played their first overtime match of the year. The 1-1 double overtime draw was the first tie of the season and at home. The contest was also the first tie with a non-conference opponent in school history. In the second double overtime match of the season, NM State posted a 1-1 tie with Northern Arizona, Sept. 5. The Aggies evened the scored in the 64th minute when sophomore forward Crystal Burns found sophomore forward Yolanda McMillion.

Looking Ahead: The Aggies travel to Honolulu to face Hawai’i, Oct. 24, in their final road match of the season.