Aggies Secure Commanding Victory on Stormy Senior Night

NM State manages season-high four goals against Gamecocks.

Source: NMSU Athletics
Photo: Courtesy

Team	1	2	F
Jacksonville St.	0	1	1
New Mexico St.	2	2	4

The Aggies emerged victorious in a match that ultimately was delayed two separate times due to weather, began one hour and 15 minutes later than originally scheduled and spanned a total of three hours and 28 minutes before coming to a close at 11:48 p.m.

The Aggies (9-5-2, 4-2-1 CUSA) showed resiliency and defeated Jacksonville State (2-4-1) by a score of 4-1 on Senior Night at the NM State Soccer Athletic Complex. The victory marks the team’s largest win of the season while the four goals scored is the most since Sept. 17, 2023.

Head Coach Rob Baarts guided his squad to its fourth straight home win and seventh of the season as the Aggies outshot the Gamecocks by a total of 12-10. The Aggies were once again led by senior standout Loma McNeese who recorded the third multi-goal game of her collegiate career. With her two goals on Saturday night, McNeese also moved into a tie for the program’s all-time lead in goals scored. This also marks the second time that McNeese has recorded two goals against Jax State.

Additionally, Milana Eyrich tallied the second goal of her young Aggie career while Marlee Cavitt recorded the first assist of her career and Blakely Edgar submitted the second assist of her career.

The Aggies began the match with offensive aggression, earning a corner kick in the fourth minute, though a Loma McNeese foul would turn it into a goal kick for the Gamecocks. NM State would keep the pressure up, using a Blakley Edgar blocked shot that returned to Edgar who chipped it through three Jax State defenders to McNeese who dove to head it in for the for the goal. This gave the Crimson & White a 1-0 lead, with McNeese earning her 25^th career goal.

Nine minutes later, the Aggies would threaten to score once again as a ball was sent into the box and in the direction of Carolina Rodriguez, however, Jax State goalie Poppy Bastock made the leaping grab to put an end to the attack. This interaction also caused Rodriguez to draw a yellow card.

In the 32^nd minute, NM State generated its fourth corner kick of the half which eventually produced a shot from Milana Eyrichthat was headed toward the bottom right corner of the goal before Bastock dove to get her finger tips on the ball to reject the shot. Moments later, a nearby lightning strike would send the game into a delay with 9:44 remaining on the clock.

Following a delay that spanned one hour and 14 minutes, the Aggies picked up right where they left off as Marlee Cavitt found Milana Eyrich for the game’s second goal just five minutes following the resuming of action. On the play, Cavitt used her speed to move the ball deep into Gamecock territory before leaving it off for Eyrich who used one touch to set up a left-footed shot that bent into the top left corner of the goal.

After a shortened halftime period, senior Brooke Schultz managed her third goal of the season as she stole an errant Jax State pass and sent in a shot from the top of the box that ricocheted off of the left post and made its way past the keeper to put the Aggies in front 3-0.

Later, Loma McNeese added another insurance goal as Andrea Alvarenga played a ball into the box from the right side of the field and McNeese registered her second goal of the night via header. This goal also moved McNeese higher up the record books as she now sits in a tie for the program record in all-time goals with 26 – a mark she shares with Aggie great Aileen Galicia.

Jax State would eventually avoid the shutout as it scored its lone goal of the game in the 87^th minute of action.

Just two contests remain on NM State’s regular season schedule as they travel to LA Tech on Sunday, Oct. 27, before returning home for the Battle of I-10 and season finale on Halloween night. With 13 points in conference play, the Aggies currently sit just one point outside of second place and two points from the No. 1 seed as they battle for a spot in the 2024 Conference USA Tournament which is set to be held Nov. 6-10 in Miami.

For complete coverage of NM State Women’s Soccer, visit NMStateSports.com – the official home of Aggie athletics – and follow us on Twitter (@NMStateWSOC), Instagram (@nmstatewsoc) and like us on Facebook (NM State Women’s Soccer).

Article posted by:

Levi Gwaltney

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