UTEP Soccer Takes on NM State in Battle of I-10 Thursday

10/30/2024 10:16:00 AM

Season Statistics (PDF)

EL PASO, Texas – The UTEP soccer team (5-8-3, 2-5-1 CUSA) travels to Las Cruces, N.M. Thursday for a Halloween edition of the Battle of I-10 against NM State. The final game of the 2024 regular season is set to kickoff at 6 p.m. MT.

GAME COVERAGE
Thursday vs FIU – Live Stats or Watch Here

#ICYMI
UTEP earned its fifth win of the season over Sam Houston, 2-1, Oct. 27. The Miners took the lead in the 18th minute, and never conceded it in the remaining 70 minutes of action. Ashlyn Neireiter and Eve Barry each scored their second goals of the season, with Neireiter's coming as a pk following a handball by the Bearkats and Barry's coming in the chaos following a corner kick. The visitors pulled one back by the end of the first half, the Miners held strong. The highlight of the game came in the 59th minute when Miner goalkeeper Tionna Taylor blocked a penalty kick from SHSU's Landri Townsend. UTEP's defense once again shined in the win, fending off four corner kicks from the Bearkats, including a last-ditch effort in the 89th minute.

BRICK WALL
Tionna Taylor blocked a decisive penalty kick from Sam Houston to preserve UTEP's 2-1 lead in the second half. The block gave the Miners the boost they needed to finish the game strong.

NEVER DOUBT NEIREITER
Ashlyn Neireiter scored her second goal of the season against the Bearkats when she stepped up and buried a penalty kick in the 18th minute. Additionally, she has played all but 12 minutes of game time this year, helping the Miners to four shutouts while also acting as a steadying presence in the backline.

THE BARRY BEST
Eve Barry also scored her second goal of the season against Sam Houston. She now has five points on the year, having also tallied an assist for UTEP.

SERVING UP ASSISTS
Kaila Hudson and Sydney Williams both earned their first assists of the season against SHSU, helping the ball find Eve Barry for the Miners' second goal of the game.

ALL OUT EFFORT
Mina Rodriguez has been a force this season. She has scored one goal in addition to providing a team high three assists. Additionally, she ranks first on the team in shots on goal (11) and total shots (31).

LET'S HEAR IT FOR THE ROOK
Ana Quintero scored her team-high fifth goal of the year against LA Tech (10/19), making her the first Miner (and first freshman) since 2019 (Tessa Carlin and Lauren Crenshaw) to have at least five goals in a season. She also leads the team in points (10), while ranking second in shots (29) and shots on goal (10).

IRON WOMEN
Six Miners have reached 1,000 minutes played in 2024, led by Ashlyn Neireiter with 1,428. Daniele Tovar (1,112), Ally Stickney (1,098) Mina Rodriguez (1,073), Kaila Hudson (1,019) and Maya Vitoria (1,007) have also earned the milestone.

GIVE 'EM FIVE
The victory over the Bearkats was UTEP's fifth win of the campaign, which marks the first time since 2019 that the Miners tallied five or more victories.

FINDING THE BACK OF THE NET
The Miners have scored multiple goals in a match twice in the last three games (two against both LA Tech and Sam Houston) after doing so only once over their first 13 (three goals against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi) contests.

SHARING IS CARING
UTEP recorded two assists against SHSU, marking the second match in 2024 that the team has posted multiple assists in a match (three against A&M-Corpus Christi on 9/5/24).

COUNT 'EM UP
The Miners tallied six points against the Bearkats, the second most points in a match this year. It is bested only by the match against A&M-Corpus Christi, when they racked up nine points.

THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE HOME
The win against Sam Houston marked UTEP's fourth win at home this season. The victory ensured a winning record at home (4-3) for the first time since 2020, when the team went 3-0-2 at University Field.

SPREADING THE WEALTH
Twenty Miners have registered at least one shot this season. Nine players have reached double-digit tries while 16 have five or more.

PICKING UP THE PACE
For the second straight year, UTEP has shown growth late in the season, winning two of their last three contests.

IN THE RANKS
The Miners rank 87th nationally in goals-against average (1.000). Individually Angelina Amparano sits 76th in the same category (.905).

SCOUTING REPORT: NM STATE
The Aggies are 10-5-2 in 2024 and 5-2-1 in CUSA play. As a team, they are averaging 1.71 goals and 10.3 shots per game. Loma McNeese leads the team with eight goals, and recently cemented her place as the all-time goal leader for NM State. She also ranks third on the team in assists with three. Meredith Scott (four), Brooke Schultz (three), Sydnee Johnson (three), and Milana Eyrich (three) round out the top five scorers for the Aggies. Schultz and Andrea Alvarenga are tied for the team lead in assists with four apiece. Valerie Guha has played all 17 matches in net for NM State, making 63 saves and allowing 23 goals against in 181 shots faced.

Nationally, the Aggies are ranked in the top 100 in multiple categories. They sit 95th in assists per game (1.47), 96th in scoring offense (1.71), 98^th in total assists (25), 94th in total goals (29), 97th in total points (83), and 82nd in won-lost-tied percentage (.647). Individually, Guha ranks 58^th in goalie minutes played (1,530). McNeese sits 78th in goals per game (0.50), 95th in points per game (1.19), and 81st in total goals (eight).

SERIES HISTORY WITH THE AGGIES
UTEP is 10-3 all-time against NM State. The last matchup saw the Aggies win 2-0 at University Field on 9/21/23. The last Miner victory came in the 2021 season, when UTEP won 2-1 at home on 9/9/21.

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