NMSU defeats Oregon, 2-1 for first win against power conference opponent
LAS CRUCES, New Mexico - NM State beat Oregon 2-1 in their second-ever matchup and first in Las Cruces on Aug. 22 at the NM State Soccer Complex. Goals from Ariana Leamons and Brooke Schultz propelled the Aggies to their first-ever win over a Power-four conference opponent.
“They're a high press team and really like disrupting your rhythm and I thought they did a really good job at that in the first 20-25 minutes of the game,” said Head Coach Rob Baarts. “We made some adjustments that allowed us to get some gaps in the midfield to start creating goals. Once we scored, I felt like we were in a good place. With a team like that they are always going to have the ability to score, and we knew that. Once they did, we dominated back and got a great goal.”
In the 28th minute, the Aggies were on the attack with sophomore forward Shila Rasoul dribbling the ball just outside the 18-yard box, firing it to Preseason All-CUSA selection Loma McNeese, who let the ball go by for fellow Preseason All-CUSA selection Leamons. The senior from Buckeye, Ariz., knocked in a goal with her left foot to open the scoring. This was Leamons’ second goal on the season.
Oregon was not down for long as they managed to get their only goal just two minutes after the Aggies’ score to tie the match up 1-1.
In the 37th minute of the match, the Ducks committed a foul, giving the Crimson & White a free kick. Former Oregon Duck Brooke Schultz was the one to take the kick. With five Ducks lined up to block Schultz’s shot, she managed to kick it just over the heads of the defenders and sink it into the bottom right corner of the goal to take a one-goal advantage over the Ducks.
In the first half of the game NM State and Oregon were tied on shots each having six and saves both having one. NM State led the Ducks with one corner kick and the Ducks recorded five fouls to the Aggies three in the first half.
The score would remain the same in the second half. Goalkeeper Valerie Guha recorded her second save of the year and 55th save of her career on the night. Leamon’s goal in the first half was her second goal of the season and third of her career. Schultz’s goal was her first of the season and sixth of her career.
The Aggies recorded 15 total shots on the night with five on-goal, compared to nine shots and just two on goal for Oregon. Rasoul led the team in shots with three and one on goal, while posting the only Aggie assist on the night, her first of the year and second of her career.
McNeese, Schultz and Conference USA Offensive Player of the Week Meredith Scott all recorded two shots on the night. Guha, Mya Hammack, Jena Johannes, Brook Schultz and Marlee Cavitt all played the full 90 minutes of the match.
With the win, the Aggies are now on an 11-game regular season unbeaten stream and a seven-game home unbeaten streak. The Aggies are now 12-2-6 dating back to 2022.
The Aggies will host Texas A&M-Commerce on Saturday, Aug. 24, Saturday at 7 p.m. 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)
