With raindrops dousing the field minutes before kickoff, the Aggies battled under the clouds Thursday night as they took on Texas Tech’s Red Raiders. And after a long fight, the Aggies were struck down with a final score of 2-0.
Quick off the mark, the Red Raiders took their first shot, followed by a corner kick. The Raiders kept the ball close to NMSU goalkeeper, Valerie Guha, who nimbly fended off multiple of the Red Raiders’ shots and marked her seventh straight match with a minimum of three stops.
Joseph Benninger, Assistant Technical Director for the University Development Academy at NMSU, recognized the Aggies’ hard work on the field.
“I thought the beginning of the game and the work rate was really tight for probably 70 minutes of the game,” Benninger said. “And I thought that New Mexico State was doing a really good job of staying competitive.”
The game’s first and second fouls, both going to Texas Tech, allowed two free kicks to NMSU’s junior defender, Kennedy Herrera, and sophomore defender, Ariana Ellison. However, neither resulted in winning any points.
While the ball was flying back and forth with both teams working toward a winning score, the goalies proved to be impenetrable.
With the second half’s beginning score sitting at 0-0, almost as comfortably as the drizzle of rain above the field, both teams were racing to score that first goal. Swiftly starting up the second half, the Aggies took another corner kick from the Red Raiders, but held up their defense and steered the ball away from the goal.
Despite their efforts, the Aggies were pelted with three more fouls, each one inching them closer to allowing that first goal to slip. This goal was scored by Texas Tech’s forward, Taylor Zdrojewski, making the score 1-0.
Zdrojewski held her own, shortly scoring the Raiders another goal, leaving the Aggies behind with a score of 2-0. NMSU gave their last hurrah in the final minutes, shooting one last corner kick before the final 10-second countdown, but the score was finalized.
“I thought we were super solid, and we were frustrating for them. We were organized, and we did a lot of things that really made them frustrated,” Rob Baarts, NMSU’s head soccer coach, said. “It still is a positive momentum for us. [Texas Tech] is a top 20 team in the country. It is what it is.”
Fans and parents are undeniably a huge part of any sporting event, and the bleachers at the NMSU soccer complex roared with supporters of all ages showing their pride for Aggie soccer, even despite the loss.
“I thought they were really going to win, but it was a good game,” Zurisaday Mendoza, Aggie soccer fan and parent, said. “My daughter plays for the Aggies, so I’m here to support all the way.”
Aggie Soccer will return Sept. 7th against the University of New Mexico’s Lobos at the UNM Soccer Complex – hopefully without the rain.
