The New Mexico State women’s soccer team falls to the University of Missouri – Kansas City 1-0 early Sunday afternoon in their final home contest of the season.

UMKC took the lead in the first half after Lexie Howard drove in the lone goal of the game in the 33’ of regulation, and the Roos never looked back despite solid NMSU defense for the rest of the game. Goalkeeper Dmitri Fong had 12 saves for the match, but in grind-it-out games like these, one mistake can be the deciding factor.

NMSU’s offense never really got going, with the Aggies only shooting the ball 9 times compared to 27 shots by UMKC. A couple of promising attack opportunities were negated by two offside penalties in the first half, playing a part in why only a mere 3 shots on goal were taken by New Mexico State.

UMKC (11-6-1, 6-0-0) entered Sunday’s match with an undefeated record in conference play, and showed exactly why they’re the cream of the crop in the WAC against the Aggies, who have been one of the better teams in the conference this season.

The Aggies honored their seniors after the game as they took the NMSU pitch for the last time. Devin Hart, Cristina Bertoldo and Danielle Smith have all had an integral role in turning this program around and Head Coach Freddy Delgado couldn’t be more grateful for their contributions.

“They’ve been invaluable to this program… A lot of what they’ve given us isn’t measured in goals or assists but measured in heart, in relationships, in drive and enthusiasm,” Delgado said, stressing the importance of his three seniors. “It’s because of them and their hard work that we are where we are right now.”

This loss hasn’t derailed the team’s confidence, as NMSU (9-8-2, 3-2-1) is in the midst of their best season under Delgado, nearly doubling last year’s win total with one more game still to be played before the beginning of the WAC tournament.

“We’re playing every game as a win at all cost type of game. The players feel like we’re playing our best in the most important part of the season,” Delgado said when asked about how the team ramps up preparation with postseason play rapidly approaching. “They’re dedicated and they’re feeling confident. We’re taking that into next week’s game and then we’re going to get after it.”

The Aggies will have one more opportunity to tune things up before the conference tournament when they travel to Edinburg, Texas to take on UT Rio Grande Valley on Oct. 28. for the regular season finally.