LAS CRUCES, N.M. – The New Mexico State women's soccer team returns to the Soccer Athletic Complex when it hosts Boise State on Sunday, Sept. 9, at 1 p.m. (MT) for Las Cruces Youth Soccer Opening Ceremonies.
 
Where to Watch
Aggie fans unable to attend Sunday's match can watch all the action thanks to live streaming from the WAC Digital Network. 
 
Follow Along
Follow along with every NM State women's soccer match throughout the season via live stats from StatBroadcast.
 
10 Years in the Making
To help the New Mexico State women's soccer team celebrate its 10^th season on the pitch, there are game day promotions throughout the season. Sunday's home match against Boise State is Las Cruces Youth Soccer Opening Ceremonies. All youth soccer players receive free admission while two coaches for each team are also allowed free entry if they have registered at NMStateSports.com. Parents, family members and friends are eligible to receive $4 tickets if they mention the promo code "LCYS" at the ticket booth.
 
As always, children 12 and under as well as students with a valid student ID receive free entry to all Aggie home games.
 
Quick Hits
Boise State visits the City of the Crosses for the first time since the 2009 season on Sunday, Sept. 9, at 1 p.m. (MT).
 
Seven different Aggies have found the back of the net in 2018 including Aileen Galicia, Emma Smith, Samantha Afonso, Kelly Burton, Katie Martinez, Micaela Milavec and Rebecca Mazzie. Galicia currently leads NM State in points (6) and goals (3) while Alexa Barrera (3a) and Smith (1g, 1a) are tied for second in points with three. NM State's 9 goals and 22 points are both good for third in the Western Athletic Conference.
 
New Mexico State's 3-0 win over Northern Illinois was its first at home in which it held a non-conference opponent scoreless and scored at least three goals since a 7-0 victory over Division II Embry-Riddle on Sept. 23, 2011.
 
Martinez's goal 15 seconds into the match against NIU is the fastest goal to open a game in Aggie history.
 
First Time for Everything
Last weekend was a weekend of firsts for NM State as head coach Rob Baarts secured his first win as a Division I head coach in a 3-0 home victory over Northern Illinois.
 
In the same game, freshman Alexa Barrera recorded her first and second-career assists while Kelly Burton added her first-career goal on a 22-yard rocket off a corner kick from Barrera.
 
Also against NIU, Katie Martinez, a converted defender, notched her first goal of the season 15 seconds into the match on a feed from Barrera while Emma Smith recorded her first assist in the Crimson and White when she played a perfect through ball to Rebecca Mazzie who tucked away her first goal of the season in the 58^th minute.
 
Smith then scored her first goal as an Aggie at Abilene Christian, finding the back of the net on a pass from Barrera in the 82^nd minute.
 
Scouting the Broncos
This is the fourth meeting all-time between the two programs and the second since Boise State left the Western Athletic Conference for the Mountain West in 2011. The Broncos hold a 2-1 edge overall while NM State won the first meeting between the two programs in 2009, 1-0 in overtime, which was also the Aggies' first-ever conference game.  
 
The Broncos are on a three-game winning streak heading into this weekend's matches at Arizona and NM State in which they have outscored their opponents 7-0. BSU's defense is anchored by senior goalkeeper Tara Fisher. Fisher has racked up 21 saves while holding a goals against average of .837. Fisher has also recorded three shutouts, tied for first in the MWC.
 
Offensively, Boise State's attack is spear-headed by 2017 Mountain West Conference Offensive Player of the Year Raimee Sherle, who leads the Broncos with 10 points (5g), and McKenna Kynett who is second on the squad with seven points (3g, 1a). Sherle also scored a brace against Southern Utah at home on Sept. 2 for her sixth-career multi-goal game. Her five goals in 2018 are good for first in the MWC while her two goals against SUU as well as one against Eastern Washington earned her Mountain West Conference Player of the Week honors.
 
Weekend in Review
The New Mexico State women's soccer team picked up its first win of the season in a 3-0 drubbing of Northern Illinois on Friday, Aug. 31, at home. NM State scored just 15 seconds into the match when Alexa Barrera found Katie Martinez in the box and Martinez found the back of the net.
 
The win was head coach Rob Baarts' first as a Division I head coach after spending the last 14 years as an assistant, 12 with his Alma Mater University of Portland and two with San Jose State.
 
The Aggies then hit the road to take on Abilene Christian on Sunday, Sept. 2. ACU jumped out to a 3-0 halftime lead but NM State battled back thanks to goals from Aileen Galicia in the 64^th minute and Emma Smith in the 82^nd minute. However, they were unable to net an equalizer before time ran out and dropped a 3-2 decision.
 
Up Next
New Mexico State hits the road to take on Battle of I-25 rival New Mexico on Friday, Sept. 14, at 7:30 p.m. (MT). Fans can catch the rivalry match via live stream from the Mountain West Digital Network.