LAS CRUCES, N.M. – NM State women's soccer program is riding high after their third straight shutout Friday night keeping them atop of the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) standings. 
 
They have another difficult matchup this Sunday against one of the top defenses in the WAC in Utah Tech. 

KICKOFF

• Kickoff is set for 1:30 p.m. (MT) from Greater Zion Stadium in St. George Utah.
• The Aggies are currently riding a three-game win streak with three shutouts in those matches. 
• Utah Tech enters the match on a two-game win streak after beating Abilene Christian last week (2-1) and a shutting out Sam Houston last night (1-0). 

 
FOLLOW ALONG | Watch | Live Stats
Aggie Nation can follow along with all the action thanks to live stats from StatBroadcast. Subsequently, fans can also stream the action through WAC International (formally known as WAC Digital Network). To stream, you will need to create a free account through WAC International (no subscription is needed).
 
LAST TIME OUT | NM State 2, Southern Utah 0 | October 7, 2022 | Box Score

• This marked the third consecutive shutout for the Aggies and seventh overall on the season. 
• With the win, the Aggies go unbeaten at home for the first time in school history (6-0-2).
• The Aggies handed Southern Utah its first conference loss of the season. 
• NM State took ten shots on goal, Southern Utah took two. 
• The Thunderbirds took eight corner kicks, the Aggies took five.
• Loma McNeese connected with her sixth goal of the season. The most by an Aggie since teammate Xitlaly Hernandez scored seven during the spring 2021 season.
• Sydnee Johnson scored her third goal of the season. The most by a freshman since Megan Ormson scored four in the spring 2021 season. 
• Makenna Gottschalk now has seven shutouts on the season and ten in her career. She also recorded two saves brining her season total to 50.
• Southern Utah's head coach Kai Edwards picked up a yellow card in the 88-minute of the match.

 
BY THE NUMBERS

• NM State collects three more conference points with last night's win bringing their total to 14, the most in the WAC. 
• The Aggies rank 147 in the NCAA women's soccer RPI, the fifth highest ranking among WAC schools.
• NM State is top five in the conference for shots (188), points (73), goals (24), goals per game (1.85), assists (25), assist per game (1.92), goals allowed (10), shutouts (7) and corner kicks (81). 
• The Aggies matched a program record set by the 2011 squad for most shutouts in a single season (7).
• 16 of the Aggies 24 goals are coming in the second half of games. 
• Xitlaly Hernandez leads the conference assist with seven. 
• Loma McNeese is tied with Sammie Sofonia (Southern Utah) and Faith Webber (Utah Valley) for the second most goals scored in the conference (6). 
• Makenna Gottschalk ranks second in the conference for shutouts (7), fourth in the conference for saves (50), and save percentage (.833), third in goals against average (0.77).
• Wither her seven shutouts, Gottschalk passes Dimitri Fong for most in a season, and Erin Wosick for most in a career (10).

 
SCOUTING THE TRAILBLAZERS | Roster | Schedule | Stats 

• Utah Tech currently sits second in the WAC standings, just behind the Aggies with 13 points. 
• They rank 156 in the NCAA women's soccer RPI, the sixth highest ranking in the WAC.
• Nine different players have found the net for the trailblazers - three players have multiple scores on the season. 
• The Blazers carry a two-game win streak headed into Sunday's match. 
• Last time out, the Trailblazers hosted the Bearcats and came out with a 1-0 shutout. They took 11 shots with six on goal. 
• The Trailblazers have been a difficult team to score on this season allowing the fewest goals (5) in the WAC. That's in part to their physical defense leading the conference in fouls per game (10.64) and stout play from their goalkeeper, Kayla Thompson. 
• Thompson has the highest save percentage in the WAC (.891). 

 
WAC STANDINGS | Statistics
 

RANK	SCHOOL	CONF. RECORD	POINTS
1	NM State	4-1-2	14
2	Utah Tech	4-0-1	13
3	Utah Valley	3-0-1	10
3	Southern Utah	3-1-1	10
5	Stephen F. Austin	3-2-0	9
6	Seattle U.	2-1-1	7
6	Sam Houston	2-4-1	7
8	California Baptist	2-2-0	6
9	Abilene Christian	0-3-2	2
9	Tarleton	0-3-2	2
9	UTRGV	0-3-2	2
12	Grand Canyon	0-3-1	1

 
 
NEXT UP
The Aggies will have just three more regular season games, all on the road, before heading to Seattle for the WAC Tournament November 2-6. They will square off with Sam Houston next week for the lone game of the weekend. Following that, they have two more games against Grand Canyon and California Baptist.