Esme Arenas records her second penalty kick goal of the season with just 14 ticks remaining.
Source: NMSU Athletics
By Emilio Garcia
Photos By Andrew Renfro for NMSU: Courtesy
LAS CRUCES, N.M. – NM State returned to the Land of Enchantment and Las Cruces, playing host to in-state rival New Mexico for the Rio Grande Rivalry on Saturday night. In front of an over-capacity crowd of 1,262, the Aggies battled to a 1-1 draw with the Lobos following an Esme Arenas penalty kick score.
True freshman Thalia Smithtabbed her first collegiate start, totaling 55 minutes in the midfield, while graduate forward Sydnee Johnson returned to action for the first time since Aug. 20, posting 27 minutes of play.
A 10th-minute goal for the visitors would put the Aggies behind early, though the team showed fight through the opening 45 minutes of the match, firing five shots with three on goal. In the past four Crimson & White contests, the team has averaged 4.75 shots over 90 minutes with an average of 1.50 shots on goal.
Trailing 1-0 at the halftime break, NM State led in saves (4-3) and corner kicks (2-1), while behind in shots (9-5).
“I think it’s so great for our team to see this many people come out and support them. We work so hard, our asks are not easy. For them to get rewarded with a great crowd like this and come out with a tie is massive.”
~Head Coach Rob Baarts
The Aggies continued to show fight in half two, making the most of their offensive possessions to keep the pressure on UNM. In all, six different Aggies posted shots while Esme Arenas led the team with three in total.
“We kept fighting because we were playing for each other. We wanted it really bad, and we saw an opportunity and we took it. I had full confidence it was going in.”
~Sophomore Esme Arenas
Arenas’ biggest shot would come in the final minute of the contest, after NM State drew a penalty on the defending Lobos in the goal box – leading to the second penalty kick opportunity of the season for the Crimson & White. Like the first, Arenas would step to the marker, sinking her shot down the middle of the net and past UNM goalkeeper Alyson Campbell to knot the score at 1-1.
The Saturday night draw became the first of the season for both NM State and UNM. Senior Kennedy Herrera recorded her seventh consecutive 90-minute match, along with the entire Aggie backline of Marlee Cavitt, Gabi Hislop and Yuliana Negrete.
UP NEXT
The Aggies go from the Rio Grande Rivalry to the Battle of I-10, as NM State hosts UTEP at the NM State Soccer Complex, on Thursday, Sept. 17. First kick is slated for 7 p.m. MT, with the match streamed live on ESPN+, 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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