Late Heroics Propel Aggies to 2-1 Victory
LAS CRUCES, New Mexico (KVIA) -- NM State beat Texas A&M-Commerce 2-1 tonight, Aug. 24 at the NM State Soccer Complex. The Aggies came back from a 1-0 deficit at the half thanks to goals by Meredith Scott and Brooke Schultz.
“This game just shows that we are very resilient,” said Head Coach Rob Baarts. “The start wasn’t what we wanted, they came and brought some trouble for us… that allowed us to figure some stuff out. The team was just super resilient to keep going right to the very end and take that opportunity to go score.”
The Aggies went down in the first half after TAMUC scored their only goal of the night in the 13th minute of the ball game.
The Aggies were unable to score in the first half but led the Lions in shots with six of their own to the Lions one. The Lions however did lead the Aggies in saves with two. NM State had 11 corner kicks in the first half, the most in any game this season, with the Lions recording no corners. Both teams had five fouls going into the second half.
The Aggies started the second half strong with a goal by reigning Conference USA Offensive Player of the Week Meredith Scott to tie the match up 1-1 in the 52nd minute. A free kick by fifth-year senior Brooke Schultz on the left side of the field just outside the 18-yard box kicked it toward a group of Aggies with Scott finding the back of the net on a header.
Action lulled in the second half until the 89th minute of the game where Schultz managed to put the Aggies ahead with her second game-winning goal in the past two games. Schultz managed to get a hold of a loose ball inside the 18-yard box to then kick the ball in between two Lion defenders and past the keeper in the bottom right corner of the goal.
The Aggies dominated play as they managed to put up 13 total shots in the game with five on goal compared to the Lions’ one shot which was on goal as well. The Aggies also recorded 15 total corner kicks with the Lions only having one. The Lions had eleven fouls on the night and one yellow card to the Aggies nine fouls.
Loma McNeese led the team in shots with four on the night, while also leading the team in shots on goal with two. Both Schultz and Shila Rasoul recorded three shots. Scott, Caetlyn Johannes and Arian Ellison each posted one shot on the night.
With two goals in the second half, this becomes the second result for the Aggies with at least two second-half goals, the other being the season opener against then #23 ranked USC.
This is the Aggies’ best start to a season since 2017 when they also started 3-0-1. With the win, the Aggies are now on a 12-game regular season unbeaten streak and an eight-game home unbeaten streak. The Aggies are now 13-2-6 dating back to 2022. Schultz was the only Aggie to record an assist.
Scott’s goal in the second half was her third goal of the season and and fourth of her career. Schultz’s goal was her second of the season and seventh of her career. She also recorded her first assist of the year and the sixth of her career.
The Aggies will hit the road for the first time this season as they will head west to take on Pacific on Aug. 29. 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)
